Greedy Dragon
by moeruhoshi
Summary: Young fire dragon, Natsu Dragneel meets his best friend, a golden star named Lucy, one day when he mistakes her for a piece of gold he intends to keep for his hoard. This one-shot series follows their everyday antics with each other and their friends who are surprisingly dramatic for their age.
1. Gold

**Guess who worked thro the fucking night and is definitely angry on hormones but put their focus into this one-shot because she wanted to get shit dooooooone**

 **Idk why but my WIPs are so hard to work on right now? I'm not even out of ideas I lowkey just go braindead trying to write them uuugh**

 **I'm glad I got these one-shot ideas bc I have just been so lowkey ded and wanting to churn out some sweet ass shit bc I miss your attention obvi**

 **I have some more to say at the end so make sure ya pay ATTENTION**

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Fiore was a modern country that thrived with Etherion in the air, flourishing in its people and granting the world with all sorts of different powers and appearances. Magic was a part of daily life, guilds existed in the heart of their cities and mages existed to protect them. Of course, if you didn't grow to be the fighting adventurer type, there were a plethora of other jobs available in compact downtown cities where the hustle and bustle of everyday life was persistent. In between these to parts of a town, there existed the suburban areas, where mothers raised their children and children played and learned and formed their futures. And on the quaint Strawberry Street, a moving truck pulled away as Layla and Lucy waved it goodbye before stepping back behind their gate.

Their skin glowed a soft golden hue, hair rich with a honey color, brown eyes lit with a stream of stars, as they were born of the stars themselves. The Heartfilia family was one of the most well-known descendants of the stars, few could rival their power and brilliance. Lucy was a bubbly girl at the age of six, happy that her skin glittered along with the sun and grew as the night took over. They had skin that could increase to extreme temperatures, have the ability to grow to an extreme brightness, and call upon their friends in the sky to teach them and fight alongside them.

She and her mother had moved out of their family estate, hoping to find a peaceful and unstuffy childhood outside of the large mansion. Her father had insisted on staying on their property, running the family business from his beloved office and promising to visit the two women in his life as often as he could. Layla was slightly against his wishes but understood that this was a part of him, after all, he was descended from gods of luck and wealth. He liked to earn his families keep.

"Why don't you play in the yard with Michelle while I make us some snacks, Lucy. It's been a long day, hmm?" Layla smiled at her small daughter as she nodded excitedly, making her way to the apple tree in the corner of the grassy area. She grinned as she set her doll down against the thick trunk, running to do a cartwheel but falling and landing with a somersault.

"Did you see that, Michelle! I almost did it!" She laughed as she rose from the ground, her eyes turning towards the sky as she felt her heart clench. She had finally left that lonely mansion and would soon make friends her own age! As much as she loved playing with her friends in the sky, Lucy was ready to meet other kids, her mother had even promised to take her to the park as soon as her father had come to help them finish getting their new house in order. Lucy continued to do tricks and flips trying to impress Michelle as she waited for her mother to return with the promised goodies, suddenly shrieking as she landed her first cartwheel.

"Mama! Mama, I did it! I did a cart-" Her delighted jumping and shouting were cut short by sudden arms wrapping around her torso and lifted her into the air.

"Igneel's gonna be so proud that I found some gold!" A chipper voice spoke above Lucy as he flew swiftly away from her home.

"E-Eh?! G-Gold?! Let me go!" Lucy squirmed in his hold but stopped once she noticed how high up they were. She had yet to learn how to float like her mother so no doubt she'd fall if she wasn't careful.

"Don't move around like that, weirdo! I don't want to drop you!" He grumbled as he tightened his hold on her small form. She shut her eyes, frowning and crossing her arms as they continued a short ways away from her home, settling down in a yard on a couple streets opposite of where she lived.

As soon as he let her go, she quickly turned around and pushed him onto his behind. He yelped as he fell, rubbing it as his wings and scaled appearance sunk into his skin. She watched as the pink haired boy formed a frown of his own, standing up to push the short blonde onto her own. Lucy was no stranger to a tussle, after all, she had met a few small spirits that like to roll around the dirt with her. The star huffed and stood up, glaring roughly as her body began to heat itself involuntarily. She pounced on the boy, her outer glow suddenly saturated with a light red. They growled as they wrassled, stretching each other's face roughly, pulling on one another's hair, barring their teeth as both heated elements singed the grass and effectively dirtied their clothes.

"Natsu! Do I smell fire out here again?! What have I to-" Grandine was subsequently cut off as she saw her son at grips with a young girl she hadn't seen in their neighborhood. What was worse was the two of them were ruining her precious lawn! She stared at them in exhaustion, rubbing her pregnant belly with an irk present on her forehead. This kind of stress wouldn't be good for her poor daughter. "Igneel, get your ass out here!"

The fire dragon rushed through their front door at the sound of his wife's cry, gulping as she glared at him and threw a finger towards the two fighting children. "Please separate them before they ruin my yard any further. And before I kill your son for fighting with a girl."

"Alright, break it up you two!" Igneel said quickly as he rushed towards them, picking up the two by the backs of their shirts, struggling to hold them as limbs continued to flail in attempts to get at each other. He managed to cool down their heated exteriors with a simple touch of his palm to the crown of their heads. He quirked a brow as the girl returned to her original golden state; what an interesting feature.

"She started it!" Natsu accused as he threw a pointed finger at the girl, their feet touching the ground again as Igneel set them down.

"You kidnapped me!" She shot back, Grandine letting out a gasp as she came up behind the three. But was she really surprised? Her son was her son, what could she say?

"Natsu, is that true?" His mother asked, softening her features as she noticed his sudden nervousness.

"W-Well yeah…! But she's gold, right?! I brought her to be part of the hoard, aren't you proud, Igneel?" Natsu expressed with clenched fists at his sides, staring his father in the eye as the older male knew he felt his beloved stare holes through his body. As if he could have accounted for Natsu actually stealing a girl he thought was a piece of gold!

"Of course, Natsu! I'm always proud of you!" He laughed as he ruffled his son's hair, smiling as he grinned. "But she's not a piece of gold, I'm sure you can see that."

"That's right!" Lucy huffed as she crossed her arms. "I'm a star!"

"A star?!" Grandine seemed close to fainting as Lucy nodded, the evidence clear as day by the glittering universe trapped in the girls' eyes. Of course. Her son was the only one foolish enough to nab such a rare species from her home. In broad daylight. She wouldn't have a hard time letting Igneel explain this to the police.

"But she's shiny, so that makes her gold, right?" Natsu cocked his head to the side as his nose scrunched up, contemplating the new information he was given. There was no way she couldn't have been gold. "So that means we can keep her in the hoard!"

"Natsu…" Igneel sighed, there was so much he had to teach his poor son. He blamed himself for this, having told Natsu all about his adventures gathering treasure last night had definitely not been helpful. "She's a girl, just like Erza and Levy-chan. You've probably made her family worry if you took her from her home. Just because something is shiny doesn't mean it's gold. Especially not something that can talk."

"Oh…" He had finally seemed to understand what he did as he dropped his head, pout evident on his lips. "It's not good to make others worry."

"That's right, Natsu. Can you apologize to the young miss now?" His father asked, the boy nodding as he lifted his head. Lucy's features calmed as he reached forward, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Her golden shade suddenly dyed a soft pink as Natsu pressed a kiss to her cheek and grinned widely.

"Where'd you learn to do that, Natsu?" His mother covered her mouth in feign surprise as she had actually hidden her smile behind her hand.

"That's how Igneel always apologizes to mama, did I do it right?" Natsu asked as he let go of the blushing girl, fascinated by her sudden color change.

"Y-Yes, but only mamas and papas apologize that way, Natsu. You should just say sorry next time, okay?" Igneel sweatdropped as his son nodded eagerly. Although he smirked inwardly, happy that his son had looked up to him with such astonishment. He was too cute for his own good.

"What's your name, little one? We need to get you cleaned up before we take you home." Grandine smiled down to the girl who had since returned to her former shade, pulling up the edges of her skirt as she curtsied to the older woman.

"Lucy Heartfilia!" She smiled delicately, the blue-haired woman flashing wide eyes to her husband. Just whose child had her son dared to kidnap?!

"Up to the bath with the both of you!" Igneel said as she broke his wife's stunned silence. Grabbing the hands of the two kids he whisked them into their home, letting his wife breathe and have a moment to herself. The Heartfilia name was well known, rather Igneel had business relations with little Lucy's father although they had not met in many years when he took precedence over raising his protege. Hopefully, Layla would recognize the dragon once he returned her daughter. He was surprised he hadn't realized who the girl was sooner, she was already the spitting image of the older fireball. (He made the mistake of calling her that to her face many years ago; still had the scar to prove it).

"Do I have to take a bath~?" Natsu whined as his father began stripping him of his t-shirt and shorts, doing the same with Lucy's dress. The girl did little to resist as Natsu had, even going as far as rinsing herself off with their showerhead. She was probably eager to get the grass itch off of her skin. Igneel pushed his son forward as he plopped him on the other stool, washing down his son as well as he let the water flow into their bathtub. The red-haired man helped the star wash her hair, making sure none of the suds got in her eyes before settling her in the water with his son already preoccupied with his water toys.

"You wouldn't mind staying for lunch, would you? I'm sure you must be hungry after all that, Lucy-chan." Igneel hummed as she nodded with a smile.

"Thank you very much, Igneel-san!" Natsu stopped shooting one of his dragon ducks with water as he turned his attention back to the girl next to him.

"Are you sure we can't keep her, Igneel? She smells nice." Natsu mumbled as he sniffed the blonde, her skin blushing with a soft pink again as she moved away from him. "And she's pretty like a hoard!"

"Oh, is that so?" He chuckled as his son nodded, chasing Lucy around the water as he insisted on smelling her more, the pink tint glowing brightly as she swam away. "I think you're supposed to ask her to be friends before we bring her into the family, Natsu."

"F-Friends…?" Lucy asked as Natsu stopped and held an outstretched hand to her.

"Yeah! Let's be friends!" He grinned as he took her hand and shook it with slight force. Her first friend…

Lucy smiled warmly as they got out of the bath, watching as Natsu dried himself instantly with a sudden burst of flames wrapping around his body.

"Isn't that cool, Luce? I'm a dragon so I can use fire like that all the time." He grinned as his father left the two in the bathroom to fetch them something new to wear.

"I can do that too!" The star attested to her statement as she burned with her inner flames, steam rising from her skin as she followed the young dragon's footsteps.

"Eh~, stars are really cool!" The young dragon stared at her in awe as she smirked, proud of her abilities, and proud to be able to finally show them off!

"I'm glad Mirajane's mama left us these clothes for your sister; you can wear these, for now, Lucy," Igneel said as he slipped a ruffled sundress over her tiny arms, a pair of small shorts acting as her undergarments. He pulled a red t-shirt over his son's head and clipped him into a pair of denim overalls. Natsu led Lucy down their stairs as he followed behind, ushering the kids to take a seat in the living room with his mother. Igneel stepped into the kitchen as he began to make simple sandwiches, letting his wife preoccupy them in the meantime.

"Is there really a baby in there?" Lucy wondered aloud as Natsu and she sat on either side of the air dragoness. They each had an ear pressed against her tummy, listening for the girl's movements.

"Yes, Lucy, it won't be long before she's born either." Grandine hummed, excited to meet her child soon enough and be able to nurture a smarter Dragneel... hopefully.

"I felt her kick!" Both kids exclaimed as they jumped when the baby beat against her mother's stomach. They giggled as her little feet pressed against their cheeks, hoping that she was ready to come out and play just as Grandine had said.

"Let's eat up quickly before Lucy's parents get worried any further." Igneel pressed them for time as he set down two plates onto their coffee table, letting the two kids eat their fill. Natsu wasted no time in sucking the food down his stomach, his parents had ingrained it into his mind to never let someone worry more than they should have. Lucy ate with proper table manners, but of course ate quickly and neatly as she was eager to return to her mother's side.

The family of almost four led the blonde on her 'journey' back to her home, the two parents quietly snickering at their sons attempts to impress Lucy with stories of his dragon history and how they owned a hoard of gems and gold coins that Igneel had hidden and continues to add valuables to whenever he comes across them. Natsu had insisted that since Lucy had sparkled as much as he had heard their treasure did so, he insisted that Lucy was one herself. Neither knew fully just what Natsu was saying, but his parents still found great pleasure in watching him fawn over the young star. They'd be using this against him in the future, no doubt about that.

As they approached they newly filled house on Strawberry Street, Lucy's mother could be seen crowded with a few others on their lawn. Lucy quickly recognized them as the 12 zodiacs her mother had often called upon to teach the star about her origin world and to play with her in general.

"Mama!" Lucy cried happily as she bounded through the gate, wrapping her tiny arms around her mother's leg. The older Heartfilia gasped as her daughter had returned to her, quickly picking her up to squeeze her in a massive bear hug.

"Oh, goodness, Lucy! Don't scare me like that!" Layla cried as she tucked her small head against her chest, sighing as her warmth spread over her. "I had no idea where you had gone off to!"

"Tch, I knew she'd be alright." Aquarius scoffed with soft features as she was reassured by her warm grin in the arms of her mother.

"It's good to see you, Lucy-hime," Capricorn said with a light smile. "We were just about to go looking for you."

"I sense you didn't leave on your own accord," Leo observed as he turned his head towards the Dragneel family waiting patiently in front of the crowd of spirits.

"Igneel-san?" Layla wondered as she set down Lucy who rushed to greet the rest of the spirits properly.

"My son has something he'd like to say," The older dragon said as he ushered his son to step forward and apologize properly.

"I-I'm sorry for making you worry about Lucy…" He said, nervously fidgeting his fingers as he stared at the older Heartfilia. "I took her without permission."

"Oh, is that so?" Her mother had seemed to calm down as she smiled at the nervous boy, giggling as his cheeks tinged a light red. "I'm glad it was you and not someone dangerous after all."

"Natsu is my friend now, mama!" Lucy grinned as she returned to the pink haired boy's side, waving to the spirits as they formed into yellow balls of energy and flung themselves back into the heavens.

"Woah…" His eyes beheld the bright brilliance the same as Lucy's had shown as he watched all twelve of the strange people return to the sky.

"My son's an idiot, really." Grandine sighed as Layla invited them indoors. "I apologize for causing such a ruckus."

"Lucy's no worse for the wear." Layla chirped as she watched her daughter lead the young dragon into their home. "And I'm sure she's excited to have made such an interesting friend."

And indeed she was.

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 **Wasn't this so cute?! I had a lot of fun actually just writing something in legit a night, makes me feel like I really have become a better writer!**

 **Lowkey loving BlackPink rn**

 **BTS bbys I purple you**

 **Bitches, I'm already planning a new lemon we can thank likubears for that**

 **I won't tell ya wat it's about cuz I'm evil but it's on my tumblr moeruhoshi :)**

 **Lowkey hate my tumblr cuz its a total fangirl page but lowkey that way so I can attract my peeps**

 **Edens Zero? I'm in love, we stan Mashima's art**

 **Happy Natsu Day! We stan a soft boi**

 **Idk what I'm updating next lmao we shall see**

 **I thinnk this deserves a sequal? Maybeee**


	2. New Friends

**Did I write another one? What? Who is this sudden writing icon? That's just lowkey consistent?**

 **When I have a bunch of summer homework to do?**

 **Someone suggested that I turn this into a sort of one-shot series, but I only have a couple more ideas concerning their lives as children**

 **I'd love some suggestions bc I totally would love keeping them in this child AU before finishing off with a couple older teenage chapters which I def already have in mind!**

 **But actually tho? I love Lucy as this cute ass star baby so seriously help my shitty ass keep this going! I love it!**

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Lucy was over the moon, it had been about three weeks since she had met Natsu and the two quickly became fast friends. In that time she had learned that Natsu could eat fire, breathe fire, transform into his half-dragon form to practice flying, and someday could unlock the ability to become a full-fledged dragon just like his father. They were both the same age, their birthdays were only one day apart! Natsu had mentioned how his dad was teaching him combat moves, and Lucy revealed her trainers were Leo and Capricorn. They had to make sure they young miss could take care of herself after all. During the day, Lucy's powers were weaker so she could only stand to summon Plue. Natsu had taken an instant liking to the strange spirit dog, and she promised to let him meet more of the stars soon. She was excited to show him her star dresses as well, she had only just received the garments to wear for practice, but she loved donning on the outfits her spirits had given her.

Layla had taken to the daily chore of pulling out a gym mat from their garage and settled it in the middle of their yard; she would stand with Lucy under the porch as they waited for Natsu to dive onto the ground and pose for the Heartfilia girls. Lucy would clap excitedly as he showed up and they would spend their day playing in the yard with Michelle watching from under the tree, or sit in Lucy's room while she read Natsu all the princess and adventure tales she had. He was a surprisingly good listener and would gasp in awe when a story would reach its climax, his fist pumping as the hero won and saved his friends. Although his nose would scrunch up and he would turn away when the romantic scenes would make their appearance. And Natsu refused to let her read any more books that painted the dragon as an enemy,

"Dragons can be heroes too! Stupid knights are the ones that need to be slain for trying to hurt my family!" He huffed, letting Lucy know about all the scary people Igneel had encountered in faraway lands that didn't learn to welcome him at first. He taught those people a lesson, who were they to think they could take on his amazing father?

"Let's write our own story then! One where the dragon saves everyone!" Lucy chirped as she pulled out a stack of blank papers and crayons from her bookshelf, spreading out the materials for the two of them to begin their work. Natsu worked fiercely on his drawings as Lucy wrote the storyline, their creation slowly coming together as they decided the dragon would go on adventures to save people and fight like Igneel did.

"The dragon needs more friends if he's going to fight a dark guild…" Natsu hummed from his spot on Lucy's carpet, laying down as he kicked his legs and mildly snacked on the mango slices coated in chili powder Layla had made for him. Spicy snacks were always better, he didn't understand how Lucy didn't like eating them. Plain mangoes were too sweet.

"He has the star, and the star has her friends, who else is there?" Lucy asked as she pouted, turning to Natsu whose eyes twinkled brightly at her question.

"That's right! I still have to introduce you to the rest of my friends, Luce." He said, absentmindedly coloring in the large red beast he had drawn. "There's Levy and Erza and Juvia and metal breath and droopy eyes."

"Eh~, I didn't know you had so many friends! That's so cool!"

"Do you want to meet them? We're all going to the park to make a camp! Just like real mages!" Lucy had always wished for a genuine group of friends to surround her. Hopefully, they'd be just as lovely as Natsu! And she'd finally be able to play dress up if she had girlfriends! Natsu thought her dresses were too itchy to stay in for long. But he at least agreed to wear the tiara when she threw a tea party.

Later that day, the two begged and begged Layla to let Lucy outdoors with Natsu and his friends the next night. They would be in the park settled in the center of their neighborhood opposite Natsu, Gray, and Erza's houses, so their parents would be just a shout away in case, they needed something. Even when they were sleeping, Igneel had very sensitive hearing, so he'd have a blind eye on the children at all times. The older Heartfilia pretended to think hard on the matter, giggling inwardly as the two children clapped their hands together tightly and flashed her wide puppy eyes.

"Promise me you'll call a spirit if you need help, okay?" The smaller girl squealed excitedly as he mother accepted the request, Grandine showing up not long after to pick up Natsu, taken aback by the jumping children who greeted her at the door. The young dragon expressed his excitement, telling his mother how Lucy would be joining them during their camping experience. She nodded and smiled, happy the Heartfilia girl would be able to gain influence from the other kids. Natsu wasn't the best role model. She let Layla know about a list of things Lucy would need to bring, just a sleeping bag, her toothbrush, and a pair of pajamas. Igneel would be teaching the kids how to light a campfire, and they would cook kabobs and s'mores over what they had burned. The two waved goodbye to each other as the Dragneel's left, Lucy taking her mother upstairs to help her pick out her best outfit.

"I'm going to make more friends tomorrow, mama!" Lucy fawned as she held her cheeks as if she had just eaten something sweet. She summoned Plue to dance with her and Michelle as Layla pressed pajamas against Lucy's chest to see which she favored the most. She smiled warmly at the sight of her daughter's excitement, pulling out her lacrima cell to take a video and sent it to her husband. He was currently at a conference in Crocus, so no doubt the Heartfilia man's mood would be improved by the sight of their cute daughter.

"Let's have a warm dinner tonight, so you get enough sleep to play around properly." Lucy nodded eagerly as she grasped her mother's hand, skipping down the steps as her mother promised to allow her to cut the vegetables.

Natsu was too jittery as he tried to sleep that night, he was ecstatic to show off Lucy to his friends, but she was part of his family's hoard, so he didn't want ice cube or metal brows to stick their scent all over her. Unable to fall asleep on his own, he grabbed his stuffed dragon and made his way towards his parent's bedroom. Igneel turned over at the sound of their door opening, his arm outstretched to lift his son onto the bed. Grandine pulled Natsu against her chest and lightly kissed the crown of his head, Igneel wrapping his arm around his wife's stomach to comfortably cuddle with his pride. The fledgling smiled softly as the scent of his parents soothed him to sleep, his little sister sounding as though she was resting well in their mother's tummy.

The gentle breeze and light of the new morning shone through the houses of the kids excited to participate in a mage camping experience. Multiple parents were awoken that morning by the uncomfortable, loud shrieks of thrilled and energetic kids followed by light groaning and the swatting of tired hands. Natsu and Lucy succeeded in dragging their parents out of bed, wanting a full breakfast to have enough energy for the day. The real fun would start around four, where everyone would meet at Natsu's house before Igneel took them out to the park. Lucy was going over to have lunch with the young dragon, Layla would be bringing sandwiches for the two of them to eat so Grandine could rest properly. She was only a month away from giving birth after all. Lucy made sure to take a thorough bath, her mother washing her hair with her favorite shampoo and calling Cancer to tie her locks in twin tails with glittering star pin to adorn her. She helped Layla style Natsu's sandwich, making sure to add extra hot sauce to the meat and thickly spread sriracha mayo the Heartfilia's had taken to purchasing after the young boy had continuously been over for lunch.

"Luce!" Natsu greeted happily as the girl, and her mother waved from their porch, pulling her inside as Layla followed along with the small luggage.

"Have fun, okay Lucy? I told the stars to make sure they keep an eye on you, I'll see you in the morning." Layla smiled as she kissed her daughter on the cheek, handing Grandine the bag she packed and the lunch she prepared. The smaller star nodded and kissed her mother back before Natsu whisked her away to see the camping equipment they had out in the living room.

"Alright, come sit at the table and eat before the others get here," Igneel said as he swept the two into his arms before swinging them down into their seats. The two swiftly ate their meal, Natsu expressing his joy as the spice in the sandwich filled his mouth. They skipped into the living room and pulled out their story and crayons from Lucy's bag and continued the adventures of the dragon and star looking for their friends.

"What kind of people are your friends?" Lucy asked as she drew the background of her new page, referring to what kind of species the lot of them were.

"Erza is a valkyrie, so she likes to fight a lot, Levy is a pixie, and she reads spell books all the time, Juvia is a mermaid, so she grows a fin when she's in water, and she can use water magic too, Gajeel is a metal dragon, and ice princess is a snowman." Natsu listed as he finished coloring in another dragon.

"Who's a snowman?!" An angry voice cried as a rocket of black hair whizzed into the room, knocking Natsu onto his back.

"You are, droopy eyes!" Natsu growled back as he rolled around and wrestled with the strange boy who had somehow flung his off during the frey.

"Can't the two of you learn some other way to greet each other?" A gruff sounding man sighed as he walked in the room, a short blue haired girl in his arms. He set her down before picking up the two boys to separate them.

"Gray-onii-sama! Don't take off your clothes off, you'll lose them again!" She said as she handed the clothes to him as the two were set back on their feet.

"You don't need to call me that," He huffed as he slipped back on his garments, his cheeks lightly dusted with a pink blush.

"Let Juvia-chan call you what she wants, the two of you are family now so you should get along." The older man said as he ruffled their hair. His eyes turned towards the small star as she shimmied off of her chair, turning towards their father.

"I-I'm Lucy Heartfilia," She greeted as she curtsied, Igneel entering the room and laughing at the sight.

"She sure is a proper one, huh, Silver?" The dragon hummed as he pat the star's head.

"It's nice to meet such a mannered kid around here," Silver smiled as he crouched on his knees to shake the blonde's hand. "I hope you'll rub off on these rowdy ones."

"Papa-sama, Juvia isn't rowdy, is she?" The mermaid whined as she flashed her father full puppy eyes.

"Of course not, Juvia-chan!" Silver cried as he wrapped his arms around his daughter and proceeded to dramatically rub his cheek against hers as he expelled alligator tears. "I'm leaving you two in good hands, but look after Juvia, alright Gray?"

The 'snowman' pouted as he nodded and crossed his arms, his expression softening as he received a brief hug and a kiss on the cheek from his father. Natsu pulled Lucy to his side as Silver left, standing in front of Gray and Juvia with a smug grin.

"This is Lucy! She's my best friend and a star, isn't that cool!" He smirked as Gray and Juvia ooed and bowed properly to one another, trying to ignore it as her hue flushed its familiar pink. "She does that sometimes, but I don't really get why."

"I can see the stars in your eyes, they're very pretty!" Juvia fawned curiously as she took a step forward and gaze into the complex system locked in Lucy's tiny body. She leaned in and whispered albeit with a slight threat, "Lucy-san should know that Gray-onii-sama is Juvia's."

"J-Juvia-chan is pretty too!" Lucy stammered as Juvia beamed, the pink failing to fade. But Lucy was confused, she just wanted to be friends with Gray since he was friends with Natsu. The dragon would probably explain what she meant later. "Are you actually a snowman?"

"Eh, no way!" Gray shouted as Natsu snickered at the comment, Lucy tilting her head to the side in slight confusion. "I'm a winter sprite!"

"Just call him ice princess, Luce," Natsu cackled at the mention of his kind. "Sprites are usually born girls."

"I'll freeze you, flame brain!" The sprite roared as he pulled the dragon back onto the ground with him, Juvia pulling Lucy out of the way as they continued to fight.

"Do they always do this?" Lucy asked as Juvia nodded and caught the clothes that had shot out from their scuffle.

"Erza-san is the only one who can keep Natsu-san and Gray-onii-sama apart." Juvia sighed, the two wrestling as Igneel watched, nodding with a proud look.

"It's how men bond," He said as he cheered for Natsu's strength. "I fought all the time with my friends, that's how we all got so strong!"

"Is that fighting I hear?" A stern voice boomed through the hallway, subsequently shocking the two out of their fight as they stood to attention. It was possible to even see Igneel flinch just the slightest bit.

"N-No! I-I-I think you're imagining things, E-Erza…" Natsu stuttered as the scarlet-haired mini warrior entered the room, her equally terrifying mother standing behind her, both with massive auras and a slight scowl on their faces.

"Y-Yeah, we'd never fight!" Gray flashed a nervous grin as he wrapped an arm around the pink haired boy.

"Good job, Erza. Keeping them in line will be good for your future." Her mother praised her with a proud grin and a pat on the head.

"Enforcing such weird thoughts onto Erza as always, Irene?" Igneel laughed awkwardly, shying away as she threw him a glare… The Belserion women were really frightening…

"Erza will be an esteemed valkyrie, I'm always training my beautiful daughter." Irene humphed, admiring the sight of her daughter reprimanding the two boys before she turned to lay eyes on the shimmering girl who stared in awe at the older woman. "This must be the Lucy I've heard so much about from Grandine."

"Y-Yes! I'm Lucy Heartfilia!" She flushed as she again curtsied her greeting to the older redhead. Irene cooed at the sight of Lucy's flushed look, crouching onto her knees so she could bring the young girl to her chest.

"Goodness, what a cute one! You're just as adorable as my niece, Millianna!" She chirped, practically squeezing the life out of the small girl. Not that she minded all that much, this mother smelled surprisingly sweet and squishy chests were always comfortable.

"M-Mama! Don't hurt her! Remember, last time you made Millianna pass out!" Erza warned her mother as she pulled out her arms that wrapped tightly around the tiny Heartfilia.

"You're right, keep your mother in line as well!" Igneel encouraged the young valkyrie only to shrink back when Irene gave him a cold stare. Such scary women…

"Have fun then, Erza. I'll see you in the morning." Her mother kissed her briefly on the cheek before taking her leave, making sure to give Igneel one last look that shook him to his core, just for fun.

"I'm looking forward to our friendship, Lucy." Erza smiled as she bowed to the blonde, the star instantly reciprocating and following with an equally excited greeting.

"Alright, I've got the last of the bunch!" Another booming voice reverberated down the hallway of the Dragneel household, three more children flooding into the room with a deep tan and black haired man following behind them.

"Oji-chan!" Natsu jumped up and excitedly leaped into the open arms of his uncle, grinning as they rubbed foreheads together; this was something dragons did when they greeted one another, Natsu had taught the young girl.

"Oi, Salamander, that's my dad, lay off!" The ruff sounding boy covered in studded metal growled at his cousin as he hogged the attention of his beloved father. Apparently, it was common for baby boy dragons to be overly attached to their fathers, if not a tad obsessed.

"And he's my uncle! You lay off, metal face!" Natsu pounced on the small metal dragon from above as they reeled their fists back to fight before a cold glare ripped through the air and halted their actions before any roughhousing could commence.

"You should know better than trying to start a fight in front of Erza, Natsu." Igneel and Gray snickered at the sight of the two frozen boys.

"Uwah! Are you a star?! A real-life star?!" The sparkly, slightly darker blue-haired girl, jumped in front of Lucy as she awaited her question to be answered. Her skin also glittered with an outer hue, the latter being more silver with hints of pastel green, orange, and purple.

"Y-Yes, I'm Lucy Heartfilia!" She introduced herself, her tongue somewhat tired from having to repeat her name so many times that day. The girl squealed as she grasped Lucy's hand with both of hers and grinned wildly.

"I've read so much about star children, I never thought I'd get to meet someone who was a real star! And a gold one at that, so cool! I'm Levy!" She beamed, making the blonde girl shift colors, embarrassed under the power of her compliments. The rest of the group seemed unfazed by Levy's overexcitement, if it were related to something she had read, then it was impossible to stop her. Her pixie powers lied explicitly with words, so the girl had pretty much come out of her flower with a book in her hands, there was little left in Magnolia she hadn't gotten her hands on.

"Nice to meet you too, Levy-chan!" Lucy grinned, delighted by her new friend's energy, who seemed to take extra excitement in the sight of Lucy's pink tint.

"What's so special about a star, shrimp? And if she's a star then why isn't she in space?" The studded boy huffed as he crossed his arms.

"Lucy's the most special! She can call other stars to fall from the sky!" Natsu defended, glaring at his cousin, offended he even dare question how amazing she was.

"She's obviously a star on the inside, isn't that right?" Levy asked Lucy as the blonde nodded in agreement.

"I can burn as bright as a blue star! But I don't know how to control my brightness very much so I could end up burning your eyeballs." She hummed as they all gulped, suddenly terrified of the small star. "And I can heat up just as hot one day too! But only up to one hundred degrees right now. My mama can float too, but I don't know how."

"See, she's awesome!"

Igneel rounded up the kids and had them carry some of their things outdoors as he hauled the heavier equipment outside. Before crossing the street, he made sure they all looked both ways, rushing them to pass quickly since they weren't using the crosswalk. It was maybe twenty seconds away from his gate, but why would he cross there when the park's entrance was literally across from his home? The park stretched about fifty acres, containing a playground, a small lake with a crossable bridge above it, a lane of cherry blossoms on the far east side, and the more dense forest of trees resided on the west in front of the Dragneel household. Past the park were the markets, working offices, and the more busy streets. Their district didn't have any unique, spectacular amenities, so they were able to live a relatively quaint life, and thankfully their neighbors weren't mindful of their rambunctious fledgling.

The bunch excitedly sat around Igneel as he explained the importance of stopping to set up camp when on a job, that it was no good for you to continue working without proper rest otherwise the enemy would have the upper hand on them. It was also best to have a team to go out on jobs with and take turns keeping watch, primarily if the area was known for monsters lurking in the woods. He then proceeded to scare the softer-hearted girls with his tales of encountering dire wolves, wyvern, and vulcans that would sneak out of the woods and try their best to overpower him. Of course, they ran immediately when he would release his full dragon form. Camping near a source of water was also crucial for the opportunity to fish for a meal, bathe, or recollecting their water supply. There were many a powerful mage that had failed to return home for foolish thinking when it came to having proper amounts of food and water.

"Now, just because you are water, Juvia-chan does not mean other's should drink from your body." The older dragon sweatdropped as the mermaid offered her liquid hand to the frightened sprite.

After a thorough briefing on what to expect and what precautions to take, the group of future mages went into the shallow forest and collected firewood, Igneel teaching them how to make a practical fire pit on a dirt surface clear of grass, surrounded by rocks to keep the flames in place. They wouldn't be lighting the fire until it got later but they wanted to have a good supply of wood. Igneel snickered into his palm as the kids rolled out logs they found in random bushes and under trees, sticking out of the ground as well; he had placed them as if they were hunting for Easter eggs, their eyes bright as they found each log he had previously hidden. By the time they had finished the night was settling in, and Igneel set up their tent, one big enough for all of them to sleep in. He stepped inside to get the kabobs that Metalicana and Grandine had prepared ahead of time.

"I want to sleep next to you, Luce!" Natsu said cheerfully as he pulled his sleeping bag next to her, grinning as she nodded in agreement. Juvia roped Gray into sleeping next to her, his father's voice echoing in his head to properly look after her even though he knew the girl would just be clinging to him all night. It was often when he woke up from his nap that Juvia would be glued to his side, sometimes he swore her snores whispered 'Gray-onii-sama.' Erza insisted that to keep Levy safe from the night air, and Gajeel huffed, hiding his blush as he also agreed to keep the pixie safe.

Natsu drooled as Igneel lit the flames, teaching the kids how to spark a fire with a couple of flints, since Levy, Lucy, or Natsu might not have been around when they needed one. Soon they were eating peacefully around the fire, rushing to finish their dinner when they saw Igneel preparing their s'more ingredients. They ate their dessert lying under the stars, Lucy pointing out the constellations that were visible above them. Natsu then jumped up as he pointed to Lucy, chocolate smeared on his cheek and a marshmallow mustache somehow slathered on his upper lip.

"Lucy! Show them how you can call people from the sky!" He encouraged her to follow his energetic leadership, and she nodded as she sat up.

"I wanna see!" Levy cheered as Lucy took center stage, Erza pulling Natsu down to her side so she could wipe his face clean with a handkerchief.

"Bunny girl better impress me," Gajeel tsked, taking to the nickname for the girl after he had seen her jump, scared by one of Igneel's stories. He thought the image was befitting for the bouncy star.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!" Lucy chanted, eyes raised towards the sky, wind rushing around them as a loud chime rang through the still air. A single star shimmered brightly against the others as it felt its call, the bright energy suddenly crashing towards earth at a brilliant speed. They all braced for impact as they expected a meteor to crash above them but instead a being formed in its light, two feet delicately touching the ground. Lucy was wrapped in a glittery sparkle, one they recognized that paired with Erza's Requip. She grinned as, puffing her chest out and crossing her arms at the jaw-dropped looks of her new friends as she stood in front of them in her star dress.

"It's good to see you, princess."

* * *

 **Ah! I actually really like this AU! This chapter took a lot longer than I expected lolol but I'm glad I worked so hard!**

 **Official one shot series tho?**

 **I like to think Erza is extra protective of Levy during their young age cx**

 **Fledgling is just another name for baby dragon lol synonyms, y'know?**

 **Irene is kind of hard to write lol I don't really know what her personality is even tho I read the manga, but I think she's a lot like Erza! Tough on the outside and soft of the inside, weak for cute and sweet things!**

 **Gray and Juvia tho? Watch what I do with that in the future hehehehehehe**

 **Quick shoutout to Silken Ink! She's writing the story Celestial Dragon about Natsu being one of Lucy's celestial keys!**

 **It's actually really good and such an interesting read, I haven't found a good story like this one in a while! It's not at all what I was thinking it would be like so really if you like adventure tales go for it! It's really beautiful!**

 **So let me know what you think about any more one-shots in this AU? I'd love to see what you think!**

 **I have to focus on my class all next week so you might not hear from me! And I have to study for my driving test and a math pretest ughh wish me luck!**

 **I want to learn how to draw cute chibis so I can express my lowkey cute thoughts in lusty chibi form** **(≧ヘ≦ )**


	3. Upset

**I'm annoyed and I'm petty so you know we just gonna roll out some quick NaLu fluff to blow off some steam**

 **Thank you if you're a cool af homie Bakers28 you a BOO, we stan an intellectual**

 **This is totally not the GrUvia explanation I was talking about bc that'll actually take my solid effort to write lmao**

 **And fuck yeah everyone's gonna play happy family here CUZ WE APPRECIATE THAT SHIT**

* * *

Natsu was upset. Annoyed? He wasn't exactly sure, but he knew he was making a face his mother would when Igneel would do something she didn't like. It started becoming common for him to suddenly realize that he had a wrinkle in between his brows, his eyes glaring slightly, and his lower lip jutted out in a pout. But he wasn't sure why. Every day he would fly to Lucy's house to play with her, sometimes flying back to his street with her so they could play with Gray, Erza, and Juvia. Gajeel would usually come over as well with Levy attached to his hip; they lived on the same west side street across from the park, but their houses were a little farther down the road. Lucy was especially excited when they could all play together, he loved to see the smile she wore when they would. But he would still find himself huffing and brooding over something he didn't understand. Everyone was happy, so why wasn't he?

"What's wrong, Natsu? Looks like you're thinkin' up a storm over there." Igneel chuckled at the sight of his son sitting cross-legged at the living room table, the same annoyed look his wife had plastered on. He supposed that's where her looks best shone through, not that he was surprised.

"I think I'm upset," Natsu muttered, his nose scrunching as he tried to will his thoughts into giving him the answer he needed. "But I don't know…"

"Did Gray beat you in a fight?" He asked, taking a seat at the table with his son, making a mental note to bookmark this conversation in his memories. Embarrassing Natsu in the future would be too easy.

"Eh?! Of course not!" The pink haired boy jumped quickly from his seat to deny such an accusation.

"So then Gajeel? Erza? I can't imagine you losing a fight to Levy and Juvia just yet, although Erza's training might just be catching up to yours." He snickered as an angry tick appeared on Natsu's forehead, and he shook his head furiously.

"I didn't lose to anyone!" He grumbled, sitting back down with a dramatic glare aimed at his father.

"So then what is it? You didn't fight with Lucy-chan, did you?" He hummed, noting the change in his demeanor as he calmed down a bit.

"No… but I think I'm upset because of Lucy." He sighed, hands gripping his hair as he cried out, exasperated by his overthinking.

"And why might that be?" Igneel asked, Natsu's scowl returning at the sound of the question.

"I don't know! I can't figure it out, Igneel." Falling back onto the floor, he glumly crossed his arms and continued to brood over his thoughts.

"You'll get a headache trying to think like that, Natsu." His father smirked, clearing his throat to offer some advice. "If you're upset, why not talk to Lucy about it?"

"But Lucy hasn't done anything… That's why I can't figure it out! We all get to play together now so it should be fun, but I'm not having fun!" Natsu groaned, Igneel hiding his laughter as his idiotic son continued to dance around his issue, utterly oblivious to the answer that stood right in front of him.

"Natsu, you think Lucy is part of our family's hoard, right?" The older dragon asked as the fledgling nodded. Goodness, the one day Grandine was out having tea with Irene and Erza. "So I think you have the instinct to keep her to yourself, so no one else can take her from your side."

"Ah, yeah! Everyone keeps crowding around Lucy since she's so cool, but I was friends with her first, so I should get to be the one that's always with her. But she likes playing with Erza, Levy, and Juvia more when we all play together…" He groaned, his pout returning as his thoughts flooded with the unpleasant memories of Lucy choosing to sit in between Levy and Erza when they last had lunch together. They were all laughing together on the other side of the table, Lucy was so far away from him…

"You can't keep Lucy all to yourself, Natsu." Igneel had trouble trying not to burst into a fit of laughter, his wife was going to regret missing this conversation! "She wants to play with the others, you know. And you two still play together the most out of everyone."

"B-But I want to! I'm Lucy's best friend, she only needs me!" Natsu huffed, nodding his head as he came to the conclusion he was happy with. As long as he kept Lucy by his side, he wouldn't feel annoyed anymore.

"That's selfish, don't you think? What if Lucy wants to be with other people? Like Gray?" His father mused, gleeful at the sight of his irate son; it was too hard not to tease him so quickly.

"Not that lame ice princess!" Natsu growled at the thought. Lucy wouldn't dare be Gray's best friend, especially not with Juvia as his unofficial guard dog.

"Eh, is Gray coming over?" Lucy's chipper voice sounded as she entered their living room, her golden hue lighting their air around them. Layla stepped in as well, bowing to greet Igneel as she dropped off Lucy for another playdate.

"Oh, Lucy-chan! We were just talking about you." Igneel snickered, Layla, tilting her head as she wondered what their conversation could have been about. Igneel's eyes told her that she'd find out in a moment.

"I won't let them take you, Luce!" Natsu declared as he stood from his seat, running to her side and quickly dragged her up the stairs.

"Are there enemies nearby?" She gasped as they ran into his room, the door shutting loudly behind them.

"I'm your best friend, right Luce? You can't pick another one besides me!" The young dragon insisted as he shook her by the shoulders, successfully making the little star queasy.

"O-Of course, Natsu is my best friend!" Lucy gagged slightly as Natsu ceased his antics, nodding proudly as she said so.

"I can't let anyone try to steal you," He said, quickly searching his room to make sure they were alone. You could never be too wary of a ninja hiding right under your nose. "Gajeel told me how you can keep a person forever!"

"Eh? Like in a jar?" Lucy quirked a brow at the strange notion, was Natsu looking for her jar?! She wasn't a lightning bug!

"No, dragons can keep someone forever," He explained as he sat down, Lucy following his lead and sitting across from him. "Metalicana told Gajeel that if a dragon bites someone they want to keep forever where the blood flows strong, they can't leave each other."

"Eh~? That sounds cool," Lucy hummed as Natsu grinned, glad she accepted his words. So Lucy was okay with him keeping her, that was good. As far as Lucy was concerned, this was like a dragon friendship bracelet, so she really wanted one!

"Don't cry okay, I'll only bite for a second." He swore as his teeth loomed over her wrist, Lucy nodding and shutting her eyes as she waited for his teeth to pierce her skin.

"Itai!" A gruff voice hissed as he pulled the dragon slayer from his gloved hand, successfully halting Natsu's unknown commitment to bear his mark on her.

"Capricorn?" Lucy questioned at the sudden appearance from one of her favorite spirits, watching as he set down the once again annoyed dragon. Everyone was out to keep Lucy from his side, he knew it.

"I'm not sure Natsu-sama knew what he was about to do," Capricorn informed as he held out the squirming boy who insisted on being let down. "I need to return him to Igneel-sama, please excuse me, Lucy-sama."

"My friendship bracelet…"

* * *

 **obvi this was short cuz I wrote it on the fly and wanted to feel some cute accomplishment**

 **Damn, Natsu almost got her, huh?**

 **Let's remind ourselves not to think sexually here since they're goddamn children -3- only calling out those rude guests tho**

 **Puppy love ftw**

 **Seriously tho I have a research paper due on the 16th for a class I'm just not reading the book for so I'm gonna put all of my focus in that!**

 **But yeah I'll totally be back after that lol hopefully with Memory Days or Tainted or another chapter for this? Honestly idk I'm just writing what comes to me lol**


	4. Rain

**My dumbass professor gave us the vaguest topic to write our essay on so um yeah I need to email him bc I'm just like? What do you want? Five pages of what?** **Idk so imma go work for my lovelies right quick**

 **honestly tho watch me get a D bc I suck at online classes, I really don't mind if I have to retake it lmao I prefer being in class, honestly, I just focus better that way. But I still intend to try my best! I rly need to fix my sleep schedule bc I keep staying up late to write lmao**

 **Let's hope I get a C woot**

 **Here's some more of this fuckin adorable story bc I'm honestly thinking this is a mind cleanse? Like I feel super awesome just writing innocent fluff, it takes a load off from the pressure of writing smut lmao**

 **And I really don't mind those rude reviews I got, I was honestly expecting them with such a trope lol I'm okay! don't worry lol thank you for your support!**

* * *

Gray was upset. Annoyed? He didn't know that many words and his mother was always telling him that he had a scowl on his face, but he thought it was appropriate. He was annoyed and upset, and he blamed his father for it. Well not entirely, only a little bit. He didn't know who he should direct his feelings towards, so he mostly fought them out with Natsu. But he knew why he was always agitated.

Juvia. They had practically been attached to his hip as soon as they met one another. Juvia's mother was good friends with his father, they had known each other since elementary school. It wasn't long after Gray was born that Juvia entered the world and their parents had brought the two of them together. Juvia was bright and bubbly while her mother was calm and encouraging, she reminded him a lot of his own mother. But Juvia's mom had a weak body, so she couldn't keep up with such an energetic daughter and often left her in the care of Gray's parents during the day. They did live right next to each other so why not? And Juvia's father was a dangerous man who wasn't around, Silver had shown Gray a picture of the man only once and was warned that if he ever saw him, to get his father right away and hide with Juvia.

They played together every day, Juvia would admire the sharp ice sprite, run around and call him 'Gray-sama.' He didn't especially like the nickname, but she would always smile brightly whenever she said it, so he let it pass. Mika would tease the small sprite about his softness towards Juvia, but how else was he supposed to treat her? Certainly not like he did flame brain, and he was scared of Erza and saw her as his superior; he was definitely just afraid of the valkyrie. Levy was his good friend too, but something about getting too close to her would piss off Gajeel, and he didn't always want to fight the metal dragon. So Juvia was his best friend, not that he would admit it to anyone else besides himself. He made the mistake of letting Juvia know that once, she wouldn't get off of him for at least two hours; she squealed the whole time. And he swore to his father that he would protect her. Especially since when she was sad, the rain would follow.

It was a miserable day when they had barely turned five and a half when she came to live with him.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia shouted excitedly as she ran into his yard, clutching something close to her chest.

"Eh? What is it?" He feigned his disinterest, he didn't like being too emotional when he was with her.

"Juvia made a teru teru bozu that looks just like Gray-sama!" She grinned and unfolded her hands to see the teru teru bozu have a paper hair cut in the same shape as his, with thick eyebrows facing inwards as his did.

"Oi! I don't look like that!" Gray shouted back as the mermaid giggled, pointing towards his brows as he growled.

"Gray-sama is doing it right now! Juvia knew he would." Her energetic laughter would ring in his ears, and he would calm down and click his tongue, going to shove his hands in his pockets only to find that he had stripped unknowingly. Clothes were too warm for his cold nature, what could he do about it?

"Did you make a Juvia teru teru bozu?" He asked, holding back his blush as she gasped and grabbed his arm gleefully, what a bright smile indeed.

"Juvia wanted Gray-sama to make the Juvia teru teru bozu since Gray-sama knows what Juvia looks like the best!" She sighed happily as she led him towards her house, the both of them making a sudden pause when a strange man with blue hair stood eerily in front of Juvia's gate. That hair. He knew that hair. Those black eyes that stared down at them, the creepy smile that crawled onto his lips as he looked at Juvia.

"Ice-Make: Bomb!" Gray chanted as a sphere formed in his hand, tossing it on the ground and watching as snow blew up between the two of them. The older man grunted as his vision was suddenly blocked, Gray quickly running away with Juvia and rushing into their home. He slammed the door loudly behind him, his nerves catching up to him as he heard a crash next door. Juvia yelped as he pulled her into their living room, eyes full and frightened as he looked towards his mother, father, and Igneel.

"G-Gray-sama, what's wrong? Who was that man…?" Juvia shuddered as she looked at his insecure state. If Gray-sama, the strongest man Juvia knew, was scared, then she should be ten times more afraid. Igneel jumped from his seat as he heard a loud thud that shook the walls around them.

"Dad! He's here!" Gray managed to get past his grinding teeth, his stomach dropping at the sight of his alerted father.

"Mika, get to the army box down the road!" Silver shouted and rushed towards the door, the others hot on his trail. "Gray, upstairs now with Juvia! You don't come down until I say so!"

He followed his father's instructions and quickly ran up the stairs, Juvia's tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she was confused by their urgent exchange. She didn't like this, why was everyone scared? Gray's Papa-sama never looked so scary before, even Igneel-san… and Mama-sama… Another crash from next door made her yelp as Gray took Juvia into his room and insisted they hide under the covers together. His window was open, and they heard Irene shout for Erza to stay inside with Natsu as her heels clicked against the concrete, running towards the collapsing Lockser household.

"Please tell Juvia what's going on, Gray-sama." Juvia sniffled as a lone tear rolled down her cheek, a light drizzle beginning to pour down as she tried to hold back her tears for the sprite's sake. She knew he always hated it when she cried.

"A bad man came to your house…" He gulped as he held the blue-haired girl close to his chest. "We have to wait for Dad to get rid of him."

Juvia's eyes widened, and her skin crawled as she heard her mother scream, the sound ringing throughout the neighborhood as time seemed to halt for a moment. The mermaid thrashed in his arms and insisted that she let him go, but Gray refused to release her. He gritted his teeth together and willed his strength to hold onto her harder as he heard his father shout.

"Mizuno!"

Gray gasped as she materialized into her water form, dripping onto the floor before running for his door and rushing down their stairs. The sprite chased after her and insisted that they stay in the house, his tears falling as well as they ran outside. The rain had become a sudden downpour, the world barely visible as Juvia looked upon her broken home, half of it blown out. She refused to stop as she ran to her gate, Gray hot on her trail, yelling for her to come back. Silver laid his fist into the mystery man's face, blood pooling around them and flowing away with the water from the sky. Igneel and Irene shouted as they demanded he stop his rage at once. Juvia ran to her mothers still body, the pellets raining down harder as she saw her mother's weak hand rest over a stab wound that rested deep in her chest.

"Mama! No, not Mama!" Juvia cried as her mother raised a shaky hand to her daughter's cheek and whispered soft and strained words expressed her love for her little mermaid one last time. Gray fell to his knees as he watched the girl bawl her eyes out, his best friend melting within the water that surrounded them. He ignored the sound of the army running up behind him, ignored the shouts of his father, ignored the arms of his mother that carried him back into his home, ignored Igneel as he took both he and Juvia into the bath before either of them were to catch a cold. He ignored everyone around him until Juvia held his hand, his eyes shooting towards her red and tired ones as she forced a smile upon her face.

No. Not like that, Juvia's smile was never so fake. She wasn't allowed to smile like that.

"You can cry. Cry all you want, Juvia… I won't get mad." He whispered in a hushed voice as they laid together in his bed. Her lips proceeded to quiver as she cried into his chest. The rain would fall every night for the next month as he held her and let her release her pain.

He was content with his parents deciding Juvia would live with them. Her father would never be seen again, and they had a shrine for her mother near the entrance of their house. He would be able to protect her better, he thought. And he wouldn't be skipping any of Erza's training lessons. He wanted to get strong quickly. To protect Juvia.

"Alright, Gray. We want you to watch over Juvia carefully from now on. She's going to be family starting from today." Mika smiled as her parents stood with Juvia in their living room.

He gulped. This wasn't what he wanted. No way, she was more than family...she...she was...

"Gray-onii-sama!"

He was upset.

* * *

 **I lowkey cried writing this I'm so fucking sorry, Mizuno will live on within our hearts**

 **And get owned, you rude ass guests**

 **I have younger siblings so I know they can speak pretty well at this age lol 3-year-olds are the ones that still speak jibberish**

 **At least I think so, I have a 3-year-old sister and a 7-year-old brother and he's been talking for a long time? Idk but its fiction so we gon chill**

 **Is there an adventure you want to see? Lemme know before they grow up!**

 **Let's make it cute and sweet and short so I can write it in a day and lift our spirits cuz i'm fucking sad now**


	5. Happy

**Don't worry! They're not gonna grow up that fast lmao, I only have like 4 or 5 chapters planned out as they grow up so we gonna save that till I'm ready to end this**

 **And we're gonna save Juvias perspective for later! She has a lot of her own thoughts about Gray but we gon wait for that reveal, I'm dying to write that chapter tho I feel its epicness**

 **But yeah, let's take in some more Nalu fluff I wrote on the fly**

 **I'd write a Gajevy chapter but I've never focused on their characters before lmao any young GaLe recommendations? I'd like to have an idea of their personalities before I attempt it**

 **Ugh I'm kinda stressed out rn but writing this prolly made me feel better**

 **Actually, I'm upset because my friends kind of got on my nerves so we're gonna ignore that pain right quick**

* * *

Natsu held Lucy's hand as they crossed the street, walking together as they went to the park. Igneel had allowed them to go on their own while Layla was away meeting Jude in Acalypha, his ears trained on their chatter. It was a rare opportunity that their old guild, Love, and Lucky, was throwing a party to celebrate fifty years of being a guild so they couldn't miss such an event.

The young dragon was happy as ever, glad that Lucy was staying over for a week, seven whole days to nap and play together. They woke up together, ate all of their meals together, took baths together, helped Igneel make lunch together, played all day together, and even got to pick out their outfits together. He liked that Lucy would always let him wear a shirt with flames on it, those were his favorite. He was proud that when he tried to do her hair on the first try, he was successful in tying her pigtails together! But that made Lucy want to tie his hair up too… he didn't like going to the park with pigtails as much as she did.

His father had given him a lecture after he tried to bite Lucy and warned him that a dragon was only supposed to do that when he loved someone. It wasn't a dragon friendship bracelet, much to Lucy's disappointment. It was something he wasn't supposed to do since he was so young and didn't understand what he would be doing to Lucy and himself. Which was true. Natsu didn't understand most of the words his father was telling him. Love was confusing, so he didn't want to keep thinking about it. But he understood enough that he promised he would be careful where he put his teeth, the look in Igneel's eyes were serious enough to properly speak to him.

He and Lucy spent most of their time outdoors, promising not to go too far from the house. Grandine was two months away from giving birth and became especially irritated at the slightest nuisances so for the safety of the children they were allowed to venture into the park but were forbidden from crossing the bridge that would take them towards the more busy end of the grounds.

Today was the third day of their week together and their third day of going into the semi-deep woods that stretched wide in front of his house. They had kept track of their steps with small pebbles collected from the edge of the lake and continued from each point they had stopped at. It was Natsu's goal to find some proper gold he could add to their family hoard since his dad still refused to put Lucy inside it. He at least wanted to compare some gold to Lucy, he would never believe that she wasn't the shiny treasure his kind collected.

Lucy carried their small picnic basket in one hand while Natsu threw pebbles from his pocket once they reached the far point they had traveled the day before. He had insisted that they look for a secret base as well, one that only the two of them knew about. Lucy was excited to find such a place, hoping there would be wildflowers surrounding it and a cool shade they could eat their lunch in.

"I still can't smell any gold…" Natsu frowned as they roamed through the sea of trees.

"Do you even know what gold smells like?" Lucy asked, the dragon coughing suddenly before looking warily at the star.

"Like you, right?" The dragon cringed as she glared at him, sometimes Lucy could be just as scary as Erza. But at least she was okay with him fighting Gray, he wouldn't have been able to survive if he couldn't test new moves on the lame ice princess.

"Natsu! I'm not gold, I'm a star!" She grumbled and crossed her arms as he bowed his head apologetically.

"I don't think so," He spoke under his breath, ignoring her as she asked him to repeat himself. His ears unexpectedly trained onto a loud cracking somewhere ahead of them, making him go into full dragon alert mode.

"Eh, Natsu… your eyes are yellow!" The star gasped as her best friend sniffed the air, trying to see if the sound was attached to anything that might have been laced with dark etherion. His father's tales of dark beasts in the woods had proved to make his son wary of his surroundings.

"I'm in dragon mode, Luce! I hear something." He said as he pointed into the woods, taking her hand in his again as they made their way towards the strange noise. Lucy gulped, hiding behind Natsu and peeking over his shoulder as he stopped them. Sticking his head through a bush, he laid his eyes upon a large white and blue egg that shook in its place, small cracks forming in its shell.

"Uwah, Natsu?!" Lucy whisper shouted as he pulled her through the foliage and they stood in front of the shivering egg.

"Don't worry, Luce, he smells clean, I don't think it's evil." He said as he took a curious step towards the mysterious creature, giving it another good whiff before nodding and giving his okay for her to approach as well.

"It's shaking a lot, do you think he's cold?" She wondered as she set down their basket for a moment to run her hands over the vibrating shell. Lucy took the liberty of warming her hands to see if she was right, brightening her smile as the egg seemingly cozied up to her palms. Natsu grinned as he warmed his body slightly as well and wrapped his arms around the oval shape. The cracks continued to trail up the sides before meeting together at the tip and breaking apart into a bright shimmer. The two took a step back and shielded their eyes, waiting for the light to die down so they could see what had emerged from the egg.

"Aye!" A squeaky voice said, the small being flapping its wings as it haphazardly landed on Natsu's head.

"A neko!" Lucy jumped up happily, reaching her hand out to scratch the blue cat under its chin, giggling as it let out soft purrs.

"Woah! How cool! Is he a dragon cat? He had wings..." Natsu asked as he held the small kitten in his hands. The little cat smiled as they looked at each other, his wings popping out again to show their feathery quality.

"An angel cat?" Lucy hummed as she inspected the tiny wings, the kitten laughing as she pet them; they must have been sensitive.

"Aye!" Was all the cat responded, though they supposed he couldn't say much since he was just born.

"What should we call him?" The dragon asked as Lucy handed the kitten a box of banana milk they had brought with them, smiling as he drank it.

"Gonzales! That's a nice name, isn't it, Neko-chan?" Lucy replied, expecting the cat to be delighted with his new name. Both Natsu and the kitten broke out in a fit of laughter, falling to the ground in sync as they rolled around and teared up at the ridiculous idea.

"L-Luce! Y-You're s-so funny!"

"A-Aye!"

"Fine then!" Lucy huffed and crossed her arms, her golden hue replaced by a pale red; bright red usually meant she was mad while the lighter version expressed her embarrassment. "You pick one!"

"H-Happy," Natsu coughed out as he grinned at the sky. "Happy is a good name."

"I guess it suits him…" Lucy was disappointed but liked how Happy smiled as he picked back up his milk and continued drinking it. But would anyone let her give the name Gonzales away? She thought it was adorable…

"I think this should be our secret base," Natsu mumbled through his sandwich stuffed mouth, they had laid down their picnic blanket and started eating not long after discovering Happy.

"It has flowers like I wanted," Lucy nodded, the bushes around them covered in lavender and daisies and cosmos sprouting in patches. There were a good amount of trees hiding the location from sight, but it wasn't entirely impossible to discover.

"We have to protect this place from strangers." Natsu frowned as his nose scrunched up, thinking of ways to keep their hideout a secret. Happy joined him in thinking as he copied his facial expressions.

"Aye…"

"I know how!" Lucy grinned, her eyes filling with a blue light as she summoned a spell. "Fleuve d'étoiles!" A stream of blue magic and bright stars surrounded them in a tube as it wrapped around their small space, reaching as high as the heavens would go.

"Eh~, what was that, Luce?" Natsu asked as the magic disappeared, the scenery just as it was a few moments ago.

"A spell to keep anyone but us from finding this place!" She smirked as both Natsu and Happy formed an 'o' with their mouths.

"What does 'flow de doilies' mean?" Natsu cocked his head to the side in wonderment, Happy following along with his movements and nodding for an explanation.

"Fleuve d'étoiles, Natsu! It means 'river of stars', I can control it, for spells and weapons." She puffed her chest proudly as Natsu cheered at the mention of such a fantastic ability. She was really the coolest best friend.

* * *

 **I want like one more chapter before Wendy is born but I lack good ideas so wassup? Tell me what you gots to see tho**

 **Lowkey thinking the gang goes on a shopping trip together, like for their first errand? I think that'd be cute**

 **And we will see Cana and Gildarts soon! Lisanna and Jellal as well hehehehe maybe a lil while longer for those two to make their appearance**

 **I want a job but I rly don't so let's get a sugar daddy? Like that's seriously such an option but also hrifhirirfn omg no way lmao it's only funny to talk about**

 **I rly should be doing my homework lmao fuck seriously tho don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a few weeks after this cuz I have a lot I need to get done before this semester starts**

 **I lie tho watch me be back in a couple of days lmao**

 **Reviiiiiiew? I'm lonely** **˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚**


	6. Pranks

****I came up with this on the fly, again lmao s** **o it's not the chapter before Wendy is born, j** **ust felt like clearing ma head with some cute ass shit FOR NALU DAY EYY****

 **I dropped my class because I couldn't take the workload ugh I'm just going to retake that class in the fall bc I seriously hate 8 week classes why did I think that was going to work lmao**

 **I'm getting rid of a few stories since I decided I won't be continuing and instead pushing out the new stories that I'm really excited for!**

 **I'm gonna repost Delinquent Princess when I actually write its outline, I don't want to write unorganized stories anymore! Or stories about a crazy abusive Natsu**

* * *

Lucy was upset. Annoyed? She knew Michelle was too because whenever Lucy was, her sweet doll was right there with her. It wasn't often that she was especially annoyed or irritated, after all, she was best friends with Natsu Dragneel. His personality was over the top, and she learned to catch up with his eccentric attitude. She liked that he was eager to play whatever games she wanted, especially since he would always agree to wear her tiaras. Lucy promised not to tell Gray and Gajeel, and she really meant it since she wanted to keep her most important tea party guest.

But she had had enough! Ever since Happy was born, he and Natsu had been attached at the hip. Igneel was more than happy to make a home for the blue cat, and Grandine said as long as Natsu was watching over him she didn't see why they couldn't keep him. And Lucy was happy too, they all played together, started teaching Happy to speak and read, Layla even showed him how to make tamago rolls. But those two were worse than Gray and Natsu. Lucy was currently sitting in the corner of her room under her blanket, quietly sobbing into her palms.

Igneel was dropping off Natsu and Happy for another playdate for another playdate with the sparkling star, his son giving him a quick hug before Lucy whisked him away to the living room. The little star giggled as Happy danced around her in the air, the two of them holding hands as they ran off.

"Natsu and Happy have been a little squirrely, don't be surprised if they start playing pranks, they seem to like doing that nowadays." Igneel sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, the ink still visible on his cheek from where Natsu had drawn a smiley face while the older dragon was asleep.

"I'll keep that in mind," Layla laughed as she waved Igneel goodbye, going back into the kitchen to finish preparing the early morning fruit she had for the children.

"Luce, I think Gray should be the one the adventurers go to save in the story," Natsu pursed his lip as he drew the sprite in a dress waving from the top of a tower. "Since he's an ice princess."

"Gray wouldn't make a very pretty princess!' Lucy turned her nose at the scraggled drawing, Natsu snickering as he drew a crown on the unsuspecting boy.

"That's why it's funny! We can save him, and he can fight in one of your itchy party dresses!" He roared, clutching his stomach as he rolled on the floor with his blue companion.

"I guess its okay then," Lucy smiled lightly, she liked playing dress up, maybe the next time Gray and Juvia came over to play she could get him to wear one of her dresses since Natsu didn't like to.

They continued to draw and come up with different ideas for their adventure story, even including Happy as a dragon companion the group had found while walking through the woods.

"Any requests for lunch today? It's a bit chilly out, so how about some soup?" Layla hummed as she placed a plate of strawberries, a bowl of whipped cream, and boxes of banana milk in front of the three.

"Beef stew! I love mama's beef stew!" Lucy jumped up, Natsu and Happy nodded along, excited to eat meat. The older star nodded as she turned to re-enter the kitchen.

"Hey, Lucy! I think I saw a fairy in the window!" Natsu feigned a gasp as he pointed towards the patio door, Happy muffling his mouth with his hands to hide his laughter.

"Eh?! No way!" She chirped and rushed to the door, pressing her cheeks against the glass, eyes wide and searching for the mythical creature. "Wait... What would a fairy be doing out in my yard? Fairies live in the woods, silly Natsu."

"Oh yeah! I forgot!" He giggled as he handed the small blonde girl a whipped cream covered berry.

"Natsu's feeding me! Yay!" Lucy cheered as she ate the fruit from his hand, failing to notice his flushed face from holding his breath. The star tilted her head at the unusually bitter flavor, her eyes suddenly widening as an intense spice filled her mouth. "Uwah!"

"Lushii ate it, Nachu! Lushii ate it!" Happy snickered as Lucy rushed to drink her banana milk and calm her swollen tongue. An open packet of hot sauce sat next to the bowl of fruit, alerting her of what Natsu had done.

"You fell for it, Luce!" Natsu clutched his stomach as she fanned her mouth, light tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

She brushed off his first joke and laughed off his attempt to mess with her, making sure that she whipped her own strawberries from now on. The three continued to draw their stories, Lucy keeping her eye on Natsu and Happy just in case they tried to play another prank on her. She was happy to get through lunch without burning her tongue on any more spices, assuming that Natsu already had all of his fun. They tired themselves out by running around in the backyard, practicing new moves and kata forms they had learned. Natsu wanted Happy to be just as strong as he and Lucy when they were all grown up. Layla tucked them all in, giving them each a kiss on the forehead before they drifted off to sleep.

Her mother rushed back into the room about an hour later when she was alarmed by a loud shriek her daughter produced. She rushed to open the door, sighing in relief as Natsu and his little kitten rolled around on the floor while Lucy sat in front of her mirror, her cheeks covered in scribbles, glasses drawn around her eyes and a mustache on her upper lip.

"Oh my, looks like I need to clean you up, Lucy dear." Layla sighed with a light laugh as her daughter rushed into her arms, sticking her tongue at the Dragneel boy.

"You look a lot better like that, Luce!" Natsu cackled as he sat up.

"A lot better, Lushii!" Happy laughed along with his adoptive parent.

Lucy sulked as they sat at the table downstairs, the older Heartfillia setting down plates of jello cubes for them to snack on. The young star huffed as she ate her snack, Natsu and Happy were getting on her nerves. Lucy thought it was funny when they pranked Gray or Gajeel, but she definitely did not like being on the receiving end of these jokes. She zoned out the chatter of the other two as she poked at the small red cubes with her fork, squealing as she felt a few jiggle down her back, Happy floating behind her and dumping what was on his plate down her shirt. They howled with laughter as she jumped out of her chair, shaking and squirming as she tried to rid her clothes of the cold jelly treat.

"Gotcha, Luce!" The young dragon snickered as the cubes slopped onto the wooden floor.

"T-That's enough!" Lucy shouted, stomping her foot onto the floor as she turned an uncomfortable shade of dark purple. The two of them flinched as her scowl began to quiver, the deep color exchanging for a softer cornflower blue. She rubbed her eyes to rid of her spilling tears before rushing up the stairs and away from her best friend.

"Looks like you two may have gone a bit too far..." Layla hummed as she crouched down next to the frowning fledgling and the disparaged kitten.

"I didn't think we'd make Lucy cry... She even turned blue! I've never made Lucy turn blue." He sulked, folding his arms as he looked longingly at the flight stairs.

"Lucy may be too sensitive for your jokes, Natsu. She's not like Gray and Gajeel, Lucy might think that you're being mean to her." She giggled to herself as the young boy gasped and hopped out of his chair.

Natsu ran up the steps, Happy hot on his trail, both of them rushing into her room. They slowly approached her as she wept under the fabric, softly tugging on it to get her attention.

"Luce... I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be mean to you. I was only playin'." He mumbled and continued to tug on it, hoping she would come out.

"I don't like those kinds of games… No more mean games..." Lucy sniffed as she revealed her blue, tear-stained face.

"Don't cry, Lushii!" Happy frowned as he padded her hidden leg with his tiny paws. "We're sorry!"

"No more pranks?" She asked, smiling slightly as they nodded rapidly and bowed apodictically.

"I'll only prank ice princess and metal face from now on, promise!" Natsu swore as he raised his, beaming as her skin dyed its natural golden hue.

"I forgive you!" She said happily, unwrapping her blanket from around her and falling into his open arms, giggling as snuggled his nose against the crown of her forehead.

"Your tears smell really salty, Luce," Natsu noted, pulling her away to lap at the water droplets rolling down her cheeks and resting at the corners of her eyes.

"Ew!" She laughed as he groomed her. "Why are you licking me, Natsu?!" She squealed, pushing him away as he tickled her.

"I have to get rid of that smell, Luce! It's icky!" He grinned as she pushed him away, the two of them wrestling lightly as she avoided his tongue.

"Icky Lushii!" Happy cheered as Natsu pinned down Lucy and continued to groom her.

"There! Much better!" Natsu smiled at the scent of his handiwork, he was a much more pleasant smell compared to her tears.

"Those were like puppy kisses." She said as she wiped away the extra moisture on her face.

"You mean dragon kisses, I'm not a dog!" Natsu huffed as he crossed his arms, a pout present on his lips.

"You're more like a cat, Natsu." Lucy snickered as she scratched the base of his neck, a stream of soft purrs erupting from his throat.

"N-No fair, that's my weak spot, Luce..." His half form slipping through as she continued to scratch the sensitive zone, his tail wagging eagerly at the feeling.

* * *

 **I want them to kiss tbh but I don't wanna force it, like its important for the storyline that they do as kids lmao but idk what kind of situation I should write for that**

 **I HAVE A COUPLE IDEAS IMMA RELEASE SOME SOON DAY SOON as soon as I make sure I have a proper sequence to follow**

 **So one is about dragon slayer Lucy Heartfilia! I had this story before but deleted it cuz I had no idea where I was going and they fell in love too fast lol But I'm excited to write her taking down baddies with her own Exceed after she's joined the gang! But I have no idea where I would take a story like that! Like enemies and fights I can do but how many and where to end it? Still not sure, I might just go for that classic Dai Mato Enbu ending but I'd love to come up with something a bit stronger than that that don't have them all taking down Tartarus either lol idk**

 **And the other is a supernatural setting where salamander (a rare form of fire dragon) Natsu Dragneel accidentally marks a mysterious oujo he met in the woods and they are more or less forced to stay together because of a heated night they shared cx I could give more background on what I mean but I don't wanna give it away!**

 **And I was going to write a one-shot about a boy finally asking Lucy out, but I decided to make it a mini-series! I forgot where I left that summary but it's in one of these stories lmao Memory Days I think**

 **But yeah I'm really excited for them! I'm kind of on a break from smut writing after I write too much of it I lose all sense of sex writing, I never know why**

 **It's called Unsatisfied if you don't know it! Hella raunchy tho, I might be following that up with another chapter tbh I want them to have a baby lowkey**

 **I'm transferring to CSU Long Beach eyy next year tho lol**

 **I'm going to school to become a book editor if you didn't know!**

 **I keep forgetting that I have other one-shots to work on but baby NaLu is all I want to wrap my head around tbh**

 **Imma go read some yaoi rn (•́⌄•́๑)૭✧ or go to sleep lmao**


	7. Going Out

**Note to self: Don't post at 2 in the morning without rereading a document bc your ass misses simple ass stuff**

 **I'm feelin' like I'm on a lowkey role, I'm so excited for these next two chapters!**

 **AND get the word _step-sibling_ out of your head. I was actually like wait that's not it at all, but you will see them acting as a family till we get to the nitty gritty underlies of Juvia and Gray's relationship**

 **I want to add more gruvia but I've never written solely for them before... Any ideas? Because Gray and Juvia really won't start to tell their story until they grow up but I want to give them cute moments together!**

* * *

Layla held her daughter's hand as she skipped along, the two of them heading towards the Dragneel residence. Today was the day Lucy and her friends would be going into town on their own to conduct their first errand. The young star was excited to go into town with her friends, it would be their first adventure together! Not that the path to the one hundred jewel store would be filled with monsters or villains, they were still excited for the experience to go off on their own.

"Good morning, Lu-chan! Lu-chan's mama!" Levy waved as she and Gajeel held hands, the two of them crossing the street. Lucy perked up as the pixie ran into her arms, the two of them jumping happily as they hugged each other.

"Good morning to you, Gajeel-kun." Layla greeted the gruff dragon, smiling as he returned her statement with a nod and a muttered reply.

The four of them continued walking towards Natsu's house, meeting Erza and Irene at their gate, her mother boasting about how her daughter would be the one leading everyone to the store. She smothered the younger redhead with an abundance of kisses, not forgetting to squeeze the life out of Levy and Lucy before she went off to work. Natsu stood at his doorway with a big grin as the group walked through his front gate, stitching his tongue at his rough looking cousin.

"Hurry, hurry! Juvia and ice princess are already here!" Natsu ushered them into his living room, the sprite and mermaid waiting patiently on the couch with Silver.

"Juvia likes your purse, Lucy-san!" Juvia gasped as she pointed to the star-shaped bag that hung around Lucy's shoulders. The pattern shimmered and swirled as if it were own galaxy, blues and golds mixing together.

"It's my Fleuve d'étoiles! You can get anything from it if you ask!'' Lucy smiled brightly as the kids gasped and gathered around the strange object. Unknown to Lucy and very well known to her mother, the bag was a portal that Virgo sent through whatever the young star had requested.

"Eh?! How?! I wanna see!" Natsu jumped up as the others nodded, wanting to see the supposed magic trick.

"Blue jacket!" Lucy called towards the item, watching the bag bulge as it filled with the thin sweater meant to match her white and blue checkered dress.

"Eh? I thought you were gonna ask for some fire..." Natsu frowned, his mother shouting from the top of the stairs at the statement.

"Don't you set this house on fire again, mister!''

"I should get her some tea before she stresses herself out again." Igneel sweatdropped as he rushed into their kitchen.

"Alright let's go over the route one more time before we send you lot on your way!" Silver clapped his hands together to call the gang to stand in front of him.

They were to start by crossing the street and enter the park, cross the bridge and go through the entrance right past the sakura trees. After that, they would be sure to press the crosswalk button and look both ways before crossing. There would be a bakery that had a large baguette for a sign, where they would take a left and continue to the next light. Across that street and to the left would be the store in question. They had each received a one thousand jewel bill from their parents to pick out whatever they wanted.

"We'll have lunch ready for you when you come home!" Layla and Silver waved goodbye to the children, watching as they walked across the street and into the park. Erza walked in front of them as she held Happy's hand, Natsu and Lucy behind them, then Gray and Juvia, followed by Gajeel and Levy.

"Uwah~! You can see anything from the top of the bridge!" Lucy fawned, standing against the railing to point at the lily pads and various koi fish she saw swimming around.

"Fish!" Happy said excitedly as he tried to dive into the lake, the young warrior quickly grasping the end of his tail and pulling him back to her side.

"We don't eat those kinds of fish, Happy." Erza scolded the moping kitten and continued to lead the group through the park.

"Gajeel! Don't pull so hard!" The pixie whined as they rushed to cross their first obstacle. It was a long road busy with traffic, their legs too short to keep in time with the walk signal, resulting in their quick sprints across the asphalt.

"You'll get squashed, shrimp! I'm tryna make sure you live!" Gajeel complained as he pulled her onto the sidewalk just as the light transitioned from red to green.

"I'm not a shrimp!" Levy frowned at her unfortunate nickname, shaking her hand out of the dragon's hold, stomping to Lucy's side. "I'm walking with Lu-chan!"

"Alright, Natsu you're holding hands with Gajeel," Erza instructed, the ice sprite snickering as they joined hands and begrudgingly walked together under her sharp glare.

Juvia grinned as she snuggled up to Gray's arm, giggling happily since he couldn't push her away without angering Erza.

"What does Gray-onii-sama want to get at the store?" She asked she looked up towards him with twinkling eyes, his lips scowling as his cheeks flushed, did she always have to smile like that?

"As if I'd know, I want something cool." He shrugged, shying away and turning his face away when she beamed at his response. Sheesh, anything could impress her. Not that he minded much.

"Of course, Gray-onii-sama would! Gray-onii-sama is always cool!"

"There's the bakery!" Their leader pointing out the large sign as they approached it.

"Ur's pastries?" Lucy tilted her head at the odd name, her mouth watering at the sweet scent coming from inside.

"Let's stop for a snack, it smells yummy," Natsu jumped up as he reached for the door handle.

"Eh? This wasn't part of our trip!" Erza brooded as they flooded the pink and white checkered floor of the store.

"It's okay, right Erza? I bet they have something delicious here!" Lucy grinned as the girls gathered around her with bright puppy eyes that rendered the valkyrie weak. She and her mother were similar, cute and sweet were their kryptonite.

Natsu and Happy excitedly pressed against the glass as they looked at the multitude of desserts on display. Juvia had her eye on a grape tart that swirled and resembled her scale pattern, Levy eyeing a brownie with the word 'cookie' written out on top in orange fudge. Gajeel was surprised to be attracted by a ganache drizzled cheesecake that he could have sworn was devised in a heavy metal scent. Lucy squealed at the sight of a Nikora shaped donut, how could anyone have known what her sweet doggie looked like? Gray was especially attracted to a blue colored bread that a snowflake pressed into the top.

"Oh! I know another sprite when I see one, " The woman at the counter smiled at the raven-haired boy as he ogled the blueberry bread.

"You're a winter sprite too?" He asked, brightening as she nodded.

"Although, I haven't come across a boy sprite in quite some time," She laughed as he pouted at the statement. Her eyes fell to the other children as they pointed out what they wanted and excitedly watched her wrap up their desserts. Erza frowned as she stared down the display case, unsure of what she should get.

"I think strawberry would suit you. You have beautiful hair." She blushed as she locked eyes with the blue-haired boy who peered at her from over the counter edge. He had a soft smile and a strange tattoo wrapped around his right eye.

"I-Is that so?" She blinked nervously as she lightly touched her hair, watching as he took a slice of strawberry shortcake from the case and handed it to his mother.

"First-time customers get their treats for free," She grinned as she handed the box to Gray. "Make sure you wait till after your lunch before eating them! And bring your parents back for more!"

"Do you know Plue, onee-san?" Lucy inquired before they left the store.

"I used to work in a guild before returning to run this ol' place, I've seen a lot to know how to expand my food to fit the tastes of different people. Don't go sharing that cupcake, little dragon, I'm not sure anyone could handle how spicy it is." He beamed, delighted with the item she had picked for him. They waved their goodbyes, especially eager to return to this place once again. Gray was curious to speak to this woman again and learn more about how a sprite like himself could use his powers to be able to become an impressive mage. Not that he had anyone he was trying to impress.

Erza had them rush to the store to make up for lost time, definitely not attempting to hide the furious blush the baker's son had given her. They were shocked to find that the store was filled with magical trinkets, any toy they wanted only costing one hundred jewels. Rushing through the isles, they looked for what they thought would be best to spend their money on.

"Natsu! Let's get matching bracelets!" Lucy chirped as she picked two up from a shelf. They were simple chains that could attach charms, sold separately of course. He nodded eagerly as he took one from her hand, the two of them standing in front of the charms to pick one out for the other. Lucy quickly went for the flame emblem her eyes landed on, Natsu reciprocating and choosing the star charm he saw. She had also taken a fish charm for each of them to represent their kitten companion. They grinned as they looked at what they had picked for the other, Natsu taking Lucy's free hand as they continued looking around the store.

"Your hand is definitely better than metal heads'," He snickered as they walked. "It's way softer!"

Levy was preoccupied with the shelf filled with light pens, staring them down as she thought of what colors were the best to get. Gajeel shuffled his feet as he approached her, shoving a thick white ribbon in her face to get her attention.

"We should match, doncha think, Levy?" He blushed as he waited for her reply, squinting as she glittered, skin shining in appreciation.

"This is so pretty, Gajeel! Thank you!" She wrapped her arms around his torso, earning a proud tsk from the metal dragon.

"Course it is." He muttered under his breath as he wrapped his arms around her head.

Juvia skipped back to Gray's side as she stood with her arms full of felt and bags of cotton for her crafts. She wanted to perfect a 'Gray-onii-sama' pillow for her next project. He turned away as he held out a golden heart-shaped locket for her to see.

"...Do you like it? I want you to wear it." He flushed as she squealed, dropping her things to rush and tackle him with a hug.

"Oh thank you! Gray-onii-sama really is the best!"

Happy floated lazily around the store as he looked for fish toys he could play with, finding a fishing rod that was apparently could always manage to hook a fish. Another item that caught his eye was a green cloth that could be fashioned into a knapsack that held a black hole-like amount of space. Just what kind of store was this?

Erza had her fair share of fun, secretly choosing a hairbrush that suited her tastes before venturing into the weapons section. There was a wall of keychains that led to the ceiling, holding different types of small weapons that could grow to any size the wielder had wished. She took as many as she could afford. Seriously, what kind of store was this?

* * *

 **News on the Tainted front, I'm lowkey not paying attention to that story rn lmao**

 **Not that I'm giving up on it, I'm just having so much fun writing these one-shots that I'm not giving them the time of day oops**

 **I actually need to figure out what I'm going to do in the next couple of chapters before I keep writing it but watch my ass just stay all over this story, I love it fam**

 **If i do write a middle school chapter itll be just one to kind of address how they're growing up and puberty and all that good shit lol**

 **But that'd just be the one chapter till they enter high school where all the real good stuff starts rolling out**

 **Their older years actually won't be as extended so far.. I don't want to drag it out day by day but more go year by year? I wanna keep them young as long as I can lmao**

 **I want to highlight Gajeel and Levy as well, they may be getting their own chapter soon! Erza and Jellal ooo yay cx**

 **Idk if I have any other news but if you're curious about something, just ask me!**


	8. Wendy

**Yay! Wendy! I've been waiting for this moment! I'm excited!**

 **We gonna be even more excited for the next two after this too! I think after them I'll give proper attention to the other ships but I'm still not what I should do since I've never focused on them? I need to read fanfiction to reference their behavior lmao**

 **I have a dentist appointment in the morning oops I'm gonna be so tired but I rly wanted to post this today**

* * *

Natsu and Happy were abruptly awoken by the Dragneel mother, her loud groan of pain alarming the household. He yawned as he heard his parents shouting back and forth, his mother seeming to be uncomfortably angry. Fortunately, Natsu had been prepared for this kind of situation. Igneel had let him know that a day would soon arrive when Grandine would scream and cry, which meant his baby sister was about to be born. He picked up Happy as he got out of bed, the kitten dreary and nodding off as Natsu put on his slippers.

"Natsu! Are you ready to go?" Igneel ushered his wife down the hall, relieved to see his son already in the hallway, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Aye… to Silver-jii-chan's, right?" He mumbled as his father nodded and helped his groaning wife down the stairs.

"P-Please…! Be...good! W-W-We'll be home soon…!" His mother screamed as they left the house, Natsu watching as his father transformed into his half-dragon form and flew off to wherever they had chosen to have the baby. It wasn't safe for a dragon such as herself to be giving birth in the hospital, her powers had gone wild the last time she had a child; an accidental dragon's roar ripped through the wall and knocked it into ongoing traffic. Igneel was also worried about the possibility of her slashing their son with a wing attack and let Silver know ahead of time that their son would stay in their care until they had returned with the child.

Natsu waddled over to the Fullbuster household, yawning again as he rang their doorbell, squinting his eyes as their porch light went on.

"Natsu? It's late, why are you outside?" Mika asked as she invited him indoors, waving to the kitten as Happy sleepily greeted her with his paw.

"Mama and Igneel went to get the baby…" He hummed, his head lolling to the side as he stood tiredly in front of her.

"Oh, goodness! Well, let's put you to bed with Gray-chan so you'll be ready in the morning to greet your sister." She hummed with a smile as she gathered the two in her arms, carrying them into the ice sprite's room. Natsu was quick to fall back asleep, unconsciously curling against Gray's back. The sprite woke briefly at the sense of the newly added weight in his bed, assuming it was Juvia when he felt them snuggle against his back. He turned over, too lazy to push her out and pulled her closer to his chest. She was comfortable to sleep with, not that he would admit it to anyone.

Silver snickered as he watched his son bury his nose into Natsu's hair, taking his lacrima camera in his hands and snapping as many pictures as he could of them. The two boys yawned, stretching their arms above their heads and sitting up with a smack of their lips. Gray turned to greet the mermaid, blinking open his tired eyes, boggling at the sight of his pink-haired enemy.

"Eh?! Where's Juvia, flame head, what did you do with her?!" Gray accused, shaking Natsu by the collar of his shirt until he would answer. The little dragon was shocked by the sudden movement as Gray's roughness shook the tiredness out of him. Annoyed by the loud outburst, Happy rolled out of bed, floating sleepily out the door as he looked for another place to rest.

"What're ya talkin' about?!" Natsu shouted back, grabbing a pillow to smack the sprite in the face. Gray grunted and scowled at the boy, taking another pillow and rightfully challenging him with his own hard swing. It was a brief battle as Silver pulled them apart, laughing at the adorable situation.

"Oi, Juvia's downstairs having breakfast with Lucy and Erza, so hurry up and get movin' before all the pancakes are gone!" He ushered the two, grinning as they rushed off as soon as he set them on their feet.

Lucy giggled as the little kitten floated into the dining room, landing to snuggle atop her head and falling back asleep.

"More strawberries please!" Erza jumped in her seat as Mika came from the kitchen with a bowl of glazed berries to top the valkyries' pancakes.

"Juvia thinks Erza-san has been eating a lot of strawberries recently," Juvia observed, making the red-haired girl blush. It was an odd truth, she had her mother buying them for every snack, and she would eat them whenever she could. She was too embarrassed to ask her mother to take her back to the bakery; this was the closest way she could feel close to the boy's soft smile.

"They taste good..." She flushed as her friends giggled, quickened footsteps sounding as Natsu and Gray rushed down the stairs.

"Good morning, Gray-onii-sama!" Juvia grinned as he took a seat next to her. He nodded in response, hiding his face in his food, glaring at Natsu as he ate. His rival gave him an equally annoyed look, deciding to occupy himself with his golden best friend.

"How come you came over with Erza, Luce?" Natsu asked as Gray's mother set his plate down in front of him.

"Mama got called to go help with the baby." She explained as she shoved a forkful food into her mouth.

"My mama too, she said Igneel-san was having a hard time by himself. Grandine-san kept blowing him away."

The six of them walked into the backyard after finishing their food, trying to decide on a game to play. Erza suggested they do a strength training session to prepare for Natsu's sister's arrival, after all, they would be the ones to protect her while she was still unable to use her powers. Immediately moving on from her suggestion, Lucy jumped in front of them with a wide grin.

"Open! Gate of the Canis Minor, Nikora!" She chanted as the wind blew, the familiar ding-dong of her summon ringing through the air. The star zoomed down from the sky, landing with an echoed thud as the white spirit face-planted onto the ground.

"Eh? Are you alright, Plue?" Lucy asked as she bent down to help him up. He shivered, nodding as he got up, dusting off the dirt lightly coating his fur.

"Pun! Pun puun puuun!" He said as he twirled around, waving to the five who sat wondering what exactly had appeared in front of them.

"A snowman?" Happy tilted his head in confusion, Lucy laughing at the assumption.

"He's a dog, can't you tell?"

"A dog?!" They shouted, the star folding her arms as she huffed. Plue was obviously a dog, why couldn't they believe it?

"Yes! And he loves to dance!" She stuck her tongue at them as she took her spirit's hand in her own, eyes to the sky as she called forth another spirit. She wasn't the strongest, so calling two spirits was a bit risky, but silver stars were much easier to summon and would not take up too much of her energy. It would be naptime soon anyhow, she would sleep a little longer is all. She had been training a lot since moving to Magnolia; she could do it.

"Open! Gate of the Harp, Lyra!" The children ducked as the rush of wind blew once again, the loud chime persistent in their ears as another star hailed from the heavens.

"Heya! Long time no see, Lucy!" Lyra waved at the young girl, both chipper to see one another.

"Please play something for us, Lyra!" The star beamed, skipping and bouncing with the small dog, encouraging the others to get up and dance with her. Erza grinned as she grabbed Natsu's hand, spinning him into a sickness as she attempted to dance with him (if you could really even call it that). Happy was quick to flutter his wings and head back indoors for some milk before the valkyrie whisked him into her tornado of doom.

Gray was terrible at hiding his blush as he held his hand out for the bubbly mermaid, letting a small smile slip from his lips as she squealed. They weren't formally trained, aside from Lucy forced to perfect her ballroom dancing in the mansion, but they were much better than Erza. And not as sick as Natsu. Juvia dipped her head against the sprite's chest, humming to the music as they swayed together.

"What are you gonna put in the locket I gave you?" He asked, focusing his eyes on his rival getting tortured. Serves him right for pretending to be his Juvia while he slept.

"Gray-onii-sama of course!" She smiled brightly as she locked eyes with his. "And mama too."

"That's good," Gray hummed, resting his chin on her head, coughing a bit as she wrapped her arms tighter around his torso.

One snack of sweet honey bread later, the children were fast asleep and snoring loudly. Gray refused to sleep anywhere near the pink-haired dragon boy, wrapping himself around the real Juvia, and Erza cuddling against her back. Natsu and Lucy slept with their hands held together, foreheads resting against one another as the young exceed cozied up between them.

Igneel walked in as the sky grew orange, the kids sat in front of the television as all eyes turned to him.

"Natsu... would you like to meet your sister?" The older dragon was tired and sweaty, his clothes torn and shredded in random places. He invited everyone to follow him into their home, leading them quietly into the master bedroom. Layla and Irene sat still at Grandine's side, monitoring her health as a chilled towelette was pressed against her forehead. Natsu approached his mother with light steps, kissing his sleeping mother on the cheek while Igneel picked up the fragile baby from her cradle. Bringing her into the center of the room, he kneeled down to reveal the infant to her older brother.

"This... " The little dragon peered into the small bundle of blankets, eyes lighting up at the sight of such wide ones staring back at him. "...is Wendy."

He grinned as she cooed, nuzzling his forehead against her small one to greet her.

"I'm your big brother!" He whisper-shouted, letting her grab onto one of his fingers with her little fist. "I'm gonna protect you from now on, I promise."

* * *

 **I don't really have anything much to say today lol**

 **I'm vaguely working on the new memory days chapter, sorry it's taking so long, I'm having way too much fun writing this story oops**

 **Juvia's dad is a canon character if ya wanna guess who he might be cx**

 **Watch me update this two more times tho, I'm hype**

 **For a future chapter, I have something to ask!**

 **What kind of movie should Lucy watch? One that maybe gives her the idea to kiss Nastu hehehehehehehehehe**

 **I'm thinking Peter Pan atm buuut any other suggestions or scenarios?**


	9. Snow White

**Yo we out here**

 **the dentist went well**

 **I want to move in with my friends but I'm torn between dorms and apartment living, idk whats best, tho on campus would be safer**

 **I lowkey love watching barbie movies, the new ones suck cuz they got a new voice actor and she's not barbie at aaaall**

* * *

Natsu was bored. Well, not so much bored as he had done almost everything he could today. He gave flying lessons to Happy, they practiced hand-to-hand combat and defense moves, watched the clouds, tried to eat the clouds, attempted to fight the clouds once they figured out they couldn't eat them, settled on eating real snacks and had a short nap.

His parents were busy watching over the newest addition to their family, Wendy currently had a burping issue that would blow out enough air to knock someone off their feet. Natsu thought it was fun to get whipped around by her wind, but Igneel was running around under the rule of his wife, baby proofing the house with charms to keep her from sending someone through a wall.

It wasn't like he could go see his friends either. Lucy had come down with something, and Grandine said it was better to let her rest. Gray and Juvia were at the beach for their once a month trip to expose Juvia to saltwater, she needed it to make sure her scales wouldn't dry out. Erza was off with her mother; it was bring your daughter to work day. Her family owned an independent dojo that would no doubt fall into her hands one day. And Gajeel was playing with Levy, his father had already called ahead to ask if Natsu could join but the young metal dragon was insistent on keeping their time alone sacred; even if those two played together almost every day.

So the two decided to watch a movie, and they kept themselves out of the way, Igneel casting the protection spells on each wall in the house. At least the family was accustomed to having to protect the home, Natsu's baby burps were the worst. They hung upside down on the couch, lazily watching what his mother had put on for them. She sat beside them with Wendy in her arms, monitoring her hiccups to be able to negate the accidental mini roar.

It was the tale of Snow White, which they found to be quite dull. Where was the action and adventure? More importantly where were the dragons? His mother explained that not every movie with a princess had a dragon, which he thought was totally lame. Dragons were the only thing that made everything so cool.

"Was the princess sick, mama?" Natsu asked as he twirled his spaghetti on his fork, haphazardly overstuffing his mouth with the pasta.

"She ate a magic apple that made her sick," She hummed, holding a bottle up for little Wendy to drink from. "And the prince made her all better with a kiss."

"What if Lucy ate an apple that made her sick?!" Natsu gasped as he turned to his blue furry friend, their eyes both full and shocked.

"We have to save Lushii!" Happy was quick to rise away from his fish and ushered Natsu to follow. Grandine was to slow to stop them, sighing as they flew off towards the Heartfilia household.

"Goodness, they have such a wild imagination." She sighed as Igneel took his seat next to her and kissed her cheek lightly.

"It's cute, I'm sure Wendy will have one just like Natsu." He grinned as he ruffled the little blue tuft atop her head.

"I don't think I could handle another Natsu," She groaned, meeting her daughter's innocent brown eyes as she stared at her parents with a confused expression. They fawned over her blank stare, cuddling their cheeks against hers, her bubbly laughter echoing throughout their home.

Layla was immersed in chopping vegetables, flinching as she was startled by the sudden knocking at her door. Wiping her hands off on a dish towel, she left the kitchen to answer the door, smiling down at the two panicked boys.

"Natsu, Happy! Have you come to visit Lucy?" She asked, moving aside to allow them inside.

"We need to see her right away! Someone might have cursed her!" Natsu explained hurriedly, insisting they be let upstairs.

"Oh goodness, then please do check on her for me, she's been asleep all day. Make sure you keep these muffle masks on so you don't catch her curse." The older star said as she slipped the items over their ears to cover their mouth and nose. They nodded and rushed up to her room, approaching her bed nervously. Unlike her usual glittered self, she was a murky gray and had lost her sparkles. Instead of a cold patch gracing her forehead, she was buried under a thick stack of blankets with a space heater propped up at the end of her bed.

"Lushii..." Happy bowed his head as he floated down to land at her side, frowning as she shivered.

"The curse took her sparkle…" Natsu teared up at the sight of her weak state. Just who the well could have done this to her?! If he were around before she ate whatever poisonous apple had done this to her, he would have been able to sniff it out and destroy it.

"What should we do, Nachu?" Happy asked as his paws pressed against her ice-cold cheeks.

"We don't have a prince to kiss her awake." Natsu frowned. Stupid princes, all they ever did was save princesses and fight dragons. Dragons were way cooler than any stupid prince. If one could wake up Lucy, then there was no doubt in his mind that he could do the same.

"Don't worry, Happy. I'll save Lucy." He said, determined to wake her up. Crawling over her small form, he leaned over her, pressing his lips quickly to hers before pulling away. Both he and Happy sighed as her condition stayed unchanged.

"Your mask, Nachu!" The kitten pointed out, pulling it down to settle it below his chin. He nodded, once again leaning down to softly peck her lips. They were cold and unmoving, she refused to wake up and continued to sleep. The dragon was frustrated and fell to her side and grumbled. The curse should have been broken by now. The dumb curse couldn't even follow its own rules.

"Someone stole all her starfire and her sparkly skin... What do we do now, Happy?" Natsu sighed, turning to cast sad eyes upon his clouded best friend. He'd have to find whoever did this to her, how dare someone hurt his best friend.

"Lushii is really cold," Happy sniffled, climbing under the blankets to offer some of his warmth to her. Natsu brightened slightly at the idea, climbing under the sheets along with the kitten, warming himself to a higher temperature to provide her with a better heat source. It was a long and unsure process, the two boys falling asleep as they held the delicate star.

Lucy blinked her eyes open slowly, finally feeling the warmth that she had lost due to her cold. They were annoying to get, instead of getting a fever, her inner core would lose its flame, and she would have to regain her heat. A loud snore from beside her shook any tiredness left in her system as she turned over, curious to see who it was. The moonlight fell onto Natsu's face, cheeks regaining color as she gazed at the sleeping dragon. She snuggled into his warm arms, her center licking with flames once again.

"Natsu..." She shook his shoulder to wake him up, yelping as his eyes quickly shot open, frantic to see if his best friend had gotten better. He grinned at the sight of her glowing self, it was still slightly dim, but at least she wasn't that awful color anymore.

"Lucy! You're all better!" He jumped excitedly onto the poor girl, pinning her to the bed as he smiled wildly in her face. "The curse is broken!"

"Eh? A curse?" Lucy was confused but enjoyed seeing Natsu so happy.

"Yeah! Like Snow White! You wouldn't wake up at all, not even when I kissed you. Someone fed you a poison apple!" He explained as he fell back to her side.

"You kissed me?" The young star flushed a powdered baby pink as he beamed.

"A kiss was supposed to be what broke the curse, but it didn't work at all." He huffed. "I even did it twice!"

"No fair! I was asleep, I want Natsu to kiss me again." She pouted, folding her arms as puffed her disappointed cheeks out.

"Eh? Sure, Luce." She giggled as he agreed, puckering her lips as she awaited his. Natsu scrunched his nose, confused by her excitement as he kissed her now warm lips. What was there to be so happy about? He didn't really understand, but he liked his best friend's sweet smile.

* * *

 **I actually decided to move into dorms like after I wrote my top notes this morning**

 **If you're worried about college, pls don't follow your friends, find a place that has a major you actually want to study**

 **Study what you like or I swear you'll feel so overwhelmed with random ass shit**

 **I wanna write more of this FLUFF**

 **We gettin another kiss next chapter, these are v important for the future cx**


	10. L-Love?

**Out here tryna make yall bust hella uwu's**

 **I got the kiss idea from this manga i read hehehehe**

 **I love eating cereal when I have cramps**

 **I watch Phineas and Ferb when I write its great**

 **My moms are doing work on the patio and keep blowing fuses, which is also great**

 **I switched my class schedule so I don't have to stay at school till 4 anymore, I'm just going in till the noon which I love**

 **I monologued at the end so if you want future info please read!**

* * *

Juvia grinned as she opened the door for her friends, the girls were coming over for a sleepover at the Fullbuster residence. It was Levy's idea after Gajeel had teased her one too many times. He was always bothering her when she was reading by flipping her pages too early, holding a book over his head and out of her reach, bolting her to a tree when she was asleep in the yard, tying her headband too tight, calling her 'shrimp', or scaring her by sneaking up on her when she went over to play. She had had enough! He was always messing with her, and whenever she huffed, demanding that he apologize, all he would do is scoff and continue laughing at her red complexion. She told Metalicana that she refused to see the young dragon in a hurried abandonment of her best friend, pushing him roughly onto his carpeted floor.

"Juvia is excited for everyone to stay over!" Juvia said as she led Erza, Lucy, and Levy into her home. They followed her upstairs, passing by Gray as they walked towards her room.

"Are you going to play with us too, Gray?" Lucy asked as Juvia jumped in his arms for a tight hug.

"I-I'm going to the park with Gajeel, Happy, and Natsu, we're playing sky tag." He said as he pushed the bubbly girl away from him.

"Sky tag? I didn't know you could fly!" Lucy gasped, her eyes begging for him to show her how. He crossed his arms and scowled, the transparent double set of light blue wings fluttering out of his back. They were thin and fluttered lightly, snowflakes detailed into its pattern with the lightest coat of shimmering glitter.

"Doesn't Gray-onii-sama have the cutest wings? Juvia loves them!" The mermaid grinned wildly as the sprite ran off, avoiding showing them his frustrated blush.

"We should go watch them play," She said as they put down their bags in her overly decorated room. She had a desk full of safety scissors, felt, fabric glue, thread, and a small cushion with needles pressed into it. Her window was riddled with teru teru bozu, bed stuffed with pillows, a couple modeled after the ice sprite, her periwinkle walls covered in photos of her with the tsundere boy.

"...You really love Gray, huh." Lucy smiled softly as the mermaid nodded her head furiously.

"Gray-onii-sama is Juvia's hero! Juvia loves him more than anyone, Gray-onii-sama is Juvia's best friend!" She swooned, sighing as she released her hearts excitement by squeezing one of her handmade pillows. They giggled at her intense amount of passion, gathering items for them to bring outside. Mika handed them a basket of snacks to eat and a thermos of tea to share with the others before sending them on their way and towards the park. They quickly crossed the street and found a shady tree to spread a checkered blanket on the grass. Lucy joined Levy in reading a stack of books she had brought along, Juvia lying on her stomach, holding her head up with her hands as she kicked her legs, eyes locked on the sprite in the sky. Erza puffed her chest proudly as she showed off the new technique she had mastered with the help of her mother. She stuck her hand into a sudden portal that formed around her wrist, disappearing as she pulled a sword out of the mysterious dimension.

"Oh, I've never seen anything like that before," The familiar voice of the baker's son rang in Erza's ears as she turned to face his weakening smile. He was taller than them, seemingly one or two years older than the lot.

"It's onii-san!" Levy clapped her hands together as she recognized him. "Erza loves strawberries now, I think because of your cake." They giggled as the valkyrie blushed under his cheerful eyes.

"I'm glad you like them, Erza-chan," He grinned as she flushed further, trying to hide behind her weapon. "I hope you can come back to eat more."

"W-What's your name...?" She asked nervously as the boy chuckled.

"Jellal, it's nice to meet you all." He waved as they waved excitedly back.

"What kind of powers do you have, Jelly-nii?" Lucy hummed, the girl's curious to know what he was.

"A heavenly body, we're quite rare." He explained, the young star gasping, jumping up, and squealing as he said so.

"A heavenly body! I've never met one before! I'm a star!" She said as she ran up to the confused boy.

"What's a heavenly body, Lu-chan?" The pixie asked as Lucy ushered the boy to kneel down to her level, pressing her ear against his beating heart.

"Fallen celestial spirits, mama taught me how to speak to the stars inside one!" She explained as she listened for its voice. The girls gasped as they crowded around the now bashful looking boy as they waited for Lucy to decipher what resided in his chest.

"You were… Mystogan! Lord of the Tower of Heaven, your brightest star is Anima! Oh... lots of powerful stars, you have a lot of magic in there, Jelly-nii! You can use so many different types..." Lucy ooed, reciting the words his stars spoke, their voices tinkling happily as they told their tale.

"Eh? That's amazing, I never knew," He gasped in awe, the three clapping as Lucy took a bow for her efforts.

"How do spirits fall out of the sky, Lucy-san?" Juvia wondered, inviting Jellal to sit with them on their blanket, passing wax cups to serve one another tea.

"When they're ready to be born, just like mama and me! But not every star or spirit is born, I don't know how that works." She shrugged, taking a sip from her cup, handing the basket around their small circle to pick out a treat.

"Is there anything else you can tell me? Is it bad that I fell?" He asked curiously, taking a bite out of one of the flaky apple tarts they had.

"Mama says some stars fall when it's their time, no one really knows why, but you have a lot of very good stars so don't worry! They're very happy." She grinned, the wind whipping their hair in their faces as the four in the sky beat their wings and settled down at the edge of the blanket.

"Luce!"

"Lushii!"

Natsu and Happy tried to launch excitedly into her full hands, but the little star was quick to stop them before they kicked the snacks everywhere and spill the tea. Erza gave them a warning glare, the two gulping as they took seats next to their sparkling best friend. Gajeel made an attempt to lock eyes with the silver pixie, but she humphed and turned her nose up; she was not ready to forgive him. Juvia squealed in silence as Gray took his seat next to her, begrudgingly taking the snacks from her hand that she offered him. They ate and refreshed themselves, Juvia repeating the information Lucy had revealed to the others. Shocked by her ability, they all tried to tackle Jellal in an attempt to hear the stars within him but ultimately failed. Natsu went on to give a speech about how amazing his best friend was for being able to understand something the others couldn't. The former spirit insisted that she listen more to see if they would tell her anything more; Anima was the one to take charge of the conversation saying that his powers would come to him as he grew, the spells were something he had to remember on his own. Although the other stars were eager to reveal that Jellal could wield many western elements.

"Jellal! There you are! We've been looking for you for almost an hour," Ur sighed as she approached the group; they were in the middle of a game of ISpy with Natsu and Gajeel unfairly in the lead. They had the ability to see at least five miles ahead of the rest if they zoned their vision well enough. Turning to face his mother, a small pink haired girl was bundled in her arms, and a girl with the same likeness as his mother stood by her side.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wandered off," He said, bowing as he stood up and walked back to his mother's side.

"If it isn't you all from the bakery!" Her eyes smiled as they waved happily at her presence. "Thank you for playing with my son, though I wish you wouldn't have walked so far away, we were all the way across the bridge!"

"Sorry, onee-san! We had a lot of fun playing with Jelly-nii, can we borrow him again sometime?" Lucy asked with a puppy dog pout, Juvia and Levy joining in her efforts.

"Jellal-onii-chan has Meredy and I to play with," The purple-haired girl huffed as she stepped forward, eyeing the three with minor annoyance.

"We like playing with him, too," Erza said in her roughest tone, blushing as Jellal sent her his wicked soft smile. She might be down for the count with something that powerful aimed in her direction.

"Now, now, Ultear," Ur sweatdropped as the girls faced off with an intense staring match. Ultear threw her gaze towards the bored looking boys in the background, eyes falling on the raven-haired boy who had failed to put away his wings.

"...A boy sprite...? He has wings like mine," She muttered as her own fluttered out of her back, moving around the barricade of girls to reach him. He gave her a nonchalant look as she approached him, his eyes falling curiously to her wings.

"Gray-onii-sama is off limits!" Juvia growled as she darted in front of her beloved and crossed her arms. Ultear's cheeks blew up in a frustrated blush as she humphed and turned back around to grab her own brother's hand and pull him away.

"What's all the commotion, you girls look more scary than usual." Silver chuckled as he came to pick them up along with Igneel.

"Eh? Is that you, Silver?" Ur guffawed as he approached the small skirmish.

"I'm surprised you got out of that avalanche I left you trapped under," Gray's father grit as they butt heads, Meredy getting passed on for Jellal to hold.

"You think something like that could stop me? You're dumber than I thought Fullbuster," She spat, the familiar energy of rivalry building up between them.

"No fighting!" Erza exclaimed as she wedged herself between the two, her classic glare powerful enough to break them apart.

"You used to fight her, dad?" Gray asked, walking up to face the two directly.

"We've been rivals for a while," Ur laughed. "Your father has yet to be able to match me in a fight."

"N-Not true! I knocked you out on the beach when we were younger!" He scoffed, Ur ready to make a comeback speech before the valkyrie's compelling eye stopped her.

"Ur-san must be really powerful! Can you be my teacher? I want to learn from a sprite like you!" Gray shouted confidently, admiration in his eyes for the woman his father was unable to defeat.

"That's Ur-sensei to you then," She smirked, snickering as Silver gaped, shocked by his son's betrayal. "I teach Ultear here and another on the weekends. Just come to the bakery when you want to start."

"Let's get going, lunch has been ready for a little while already," Igneel interrupted as he dragged the older Fullbuster away, ushering the kids to follow with their things.

"W-Will we play again…?" Erza asked in a mumble, her eyes sheepishly peeking up at the fallen spirit. She flushed as he nodded, his younger sister pulling him away as his family started to leave as well. Turning to the other girls who walked behind the three boys, she held her cheeks as her eyebrows knitted together.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Levy questioned, stifling a giggle as if she already knew the answer.

"I think I'm sick...my tummy feels all fluttery, and my face is too hot..."

"Is Erza-san's heart ready to burst?" Juvia hummed, clasping her hands together as Erza nodded wildly. She was worried if someone knew what she was feeling, it might be something somewhat dangerous.

"That's love, Erza-san! Juvia feels that way whenever she's with Gray-onii-sama! It's wonderful!" The mermaid squealed, the shriek alarming the ice sprite in front of them and causing him to turn around. She waved rapidly as he faced her, pouting as he realized Juvia was just being Juvia and turned back around with pink puffed out cheeks.

"E-Eh?! How?! L-Love?! T-That...I-I d-don't…!" The three were excited to see Erza so tongue-tied and rushed ahead of the others to teach the redhead just what they meant.

The night had ended after a marathon of childish movies depicting the very tales that Erza had barely discovered so far in her young life. They had forced Gray out of the house and over to Natsu's so Erza could 'fully' grasp her feelings. She was still too embarrassed how much she had felt for the strange baker's son, but it was definitely unlike the feelings she had for the boys that surrounded her. While they were all afraid of her and refused to challenge her superior aura, Jellal seemed to think she was sweet and smiled a lot when he saw her. These new feelings tired her out, and after their last viewing of Peter Pan, they made their way into Juvia's room to unravel their sleeping bags. Lucy had especially liked the movie since Peter had changed colors the same way she did, him turning pink as Wendy gave him a kiss. She wondered if it was common for people to turn pink when they got a kiss. The others were quick to fall asleep, but Lucy would always stay up a little longer at night to call out to her friends in the sky for a quick goodnight speech. She wiggled out of her fuzzy pink sack, a shadow in the window catching her eye as she stood up.

"Eh? Is that you, Peter?" She whispered as she opened the window, shocked to find Natsu sticking to the wall under the pane. He frowned as she spoke such a random name, who the heck was Peter?! He wasn't visiting Lucy when she slept, was he?!

"Peter? Who's Peter?" He demanded to know in a hushed voice, scowling as she let out a soft giggle.

"Peter Pan, Natsu! He's a movie character," She explained how he came to the Darling's window and showed them the world locked within the North Star, and how she thought he might have come to take her since they just watched his movie.

"Peter and Jellal-nii-san…you're not gonna leave me for a better best friend, are you?" Natsu pouted as he sat on the window's edge. "I can take you to the North Star! But I can't be a spirit like Nii-san…"

"Natsu is my best friend! Happy too!" She beamed, his features softening at her declaration. "Why did you come to visit, Natsu? Aren't you having a sleepover with Gray?"

"Ice princess is lame, I barely got to play with Luce today." Lucy laughed as her dragon lifted her onto the window's edge, pointing out the stars she had wanted to say goodnight to. It was a short visit, Natsu knew his father would wake up quickly when he heard that his son wasn't in bed. The young star braved a kiss with her best friend as he set her back down on Juvia's floor, his cheeks indeed flushing as she did so.

"No fair, Luce, you surprised me," Natsu huffed as she smiled, taking his revenge by hastily kissing her cheek.

"I wanted to see Natsu turn pink!" She giggled as he smirked.

"You're the one that turns pink when I kiss you," He snickered as she looked down at her hands to see that she had become her famous peachy pink.

"T-Then one more! I want to kiss Natsu so you turn pink!" She stuck her tongue at him as he nodded shyly, their puckered lips gingerly coming together before he suddenly flew away.

* * *

 **I thought of that Jellal bit on the spot tho I'm so proud, I love his character a lot now omg**

 **There's something about Ur's family that might be obvious but I won't say it yet**

 **Juvia isn't too much is she? I mean she's a kid so I'm going a lil hardcore with all of them for a reason Any staple GrUvia fanfic ideas I should use?**

 **Does Gajeel and Levy's relationship need a bit more?**

 **I think a Juvia chap might be next**

 **Let me plug my girl! She has a blog on "thequill dot online" I wrote something for her! Check it out if you have the time!**

 **I'm working on the next and Unsatisfied chapter if you don't already know! I hope to finish that before I pick up school again cx**

 **As for Tainted and Memory Days! I really just haven't been looking after them, I'm way too hype for this story. I mean I wiiiill get to them. It might take longer for me to write more of Tainted cuz I have the ending planned out but not the middle? I mean I have some of it done but not all of it and I need to solidify my ideas before I go rushing all over again. I think I'm going to finish these three stories before I release ne ones! I'm excited! I hope you'll bear with me too, I know how slow and random I can be**

 **I've also talked to my mom about putting me on Adderall since my focus and memory have just never been good and I totally have some annoying ass mental issues that I think just get in the way of my life when I want to do something**

 **Lowkey thought of more dramatic things for this story, I'm hype**

 **I was going to reintroduce Juvia's dad but to hell with him, I thought of something I like better**

 **He was actually Dyst of Carbuncle! Which is a pretty random character lol but he has the blue hair I had in mind. And he's totally nuts so it worked cx**

 **I've never just rolled out chapters like this before and I fucking love it**

 **Seriously I fucking love this flufftopia**

 **IT'S SO GOOD**


	11. Happy Birthday

**BOIS**

 **been a lil while cuz sometimes it be like that, if you're new I'm definitely NOT a consistent writer oops**

 **I fucking thought of something awesome for this story y'all don't even KNOW**

 **I mean you will in like a second because I'm about to reveal something amazing in this chapter**

 **Edit: I thought of something for the NaLu development and omg I wanna cry its perf tho it doesn't happen till they grown, I thought of two things and they're amazing I SWEAR**

 **Why is this story so much more dramatic than I was expecting, like YO you don't even know what the fuck is about to go down**

 **I can't wait for the day I get to bump the rating up to a T, BECAUSE IT'LL GET REAL REALL QUICK**

 **I already want to be there because I just have so much I want to share with you**

 **Someone asked, and yes the Ultear rivalry is real**

* * *

Juvia had woken up, lacking her usual grogginess as she was ready for the exciting day ahead of her. Gray's mother and father burst into the room, a stack of blueberry pancakes in hand, syrup pooling at the bottom of the plate, candles sticking out of the top with flames wisping in the light breeze provided by her open window. She grinned widely as they snapped a party hat onto her head, ushering her to blow out the candles before they went downstairs.

"I wish…" She held her hands together, closing her eyes as she relayed the wish inside her head. It may have been completely cliche, but she had wished for a life full of time spent with Gray; he was indeed the light of her life.

Bounding down the stairs with them following her quick footsteps, Gray stood in front of the table, a party hat on his head and a big handmade banner that spelled out her name. The table held a giant pitcher of grape juice, pancakes plated and ready for every individual to devour, extra toppings like whipped cream and various berries sat in bowls around the drink.

"Gray-chan helped make breakfast today," Mika smiled as Gray tried his hardest not to turn red, the eyes of his best friend instantly lighting up. She squealed as he opened his arms for her to quickly run into and squeeze the breath out of him with a dangerous hug. It was the only day he would let her do so to her heart's content without him insisting that she let him go.

"Juvia loves blueberries!" The little mermaid heartily munched on her breakfast, "They look just like Gray-onii-sama!"

"Eh?! What're you talking about?!" He pouted as his family laughed, hiding his face in his food as they did so. He stared at the blueberries topping his pancakes with a fierce glare, just how the heck did they resemble him?

"We're going to have lunch in the park with all our friends, aren't you excited, Juvia-chan?" Silver hummed as Mika placed a gift box in place of her half eaten plate. Unwrapping it quickly, she pulled out a new periwinkle sundress with a teru teru bozu stitched against the middle of the belt. A light rumble in the sky sounded as the clouds moved to cover the sun, Juvia's excitement almost becoming too much for her.

"Don't cry, Juvia. You'll ruin the park for everyone." Gray said, nudging her softly before turning back to face his breakfast. He could feel her broad smile on the back of his neck, ignoring it as he continued to eat.

"Does Gray-onii-sama have a present for her too?" The mermaid asked with hopeful eyes.

"I-I couldn't decide…" He started as his parents snickered at his obvious embarrassment. "You can pick though, I-I'll give you whatever you want."

Juvia tried to focus on the fun going on around her but was ultimately brooding over what she could possibly get Gray to give to her. She was currently sitting with her friends on their picnic blanket, preoccupied with Wendy while the boys were running around with their fathers. Irene had brought a blanket for the mothers to sit on, Ur even present at this get together. Ultear refused to make friends with the other girls, keeping herself and Meredy close to their mother's side. Layla was quick to recognize the fallen spirit and greeted him with open arms and an overly intense familiarity that alarmed him for a moment, although, he was surprised to find out that she had met his spirit.

"You knew me?''

"Of course! Although I only called upon your spirit once, he was almost as powerful as the Celestial Spirit King himself, so stars like myself called him when we absolutely needed his help."

"Was he lonely? Is that why I fell?"

"Fufu, he visited me asking how it felt to fall in love. For all the family he had in the sky, his beloved was not amongst them."

"Oh! How romantic, Jellal!" Ur cackled as she patted her son on the back, his soft smile flashing his apparent embarrassment.

"What do you think Juvia should ask Gray-onii-sama to give her? Juvia doesn't know what she should ask for." The mermaid asked as she sprawled out on the blanket, sighing and facing the sky.

"Challenge him to a fight, I'm sure you could beat him up with all the training I've given you." Erza grinned, although her eyes were locked onto the small Dragneel lying in a baby dome, burbling happily as she laid on her back.

"That's not very cute, Erza." Juvia pouted as they giggled, the valkyrie huffing and crossing her arms. "Gray-onii-sama and Juvia are best friends so no we can't fight."

"Natsu always gives me pretty things! Like shiny rocks, he finds them by the lake, and then I scratch him to make him purr." She giggled at the thought of his melted state. "He gives me kisses when I ask too!"

"Eh?! Kisses?!" Levy gasped as Lucy nodded shyly and tried to hide her pink complexion.

"Juvia doesn't know if she could ask Gray-onii-sama for something so amazing..." She flushed, Erza as red as her hair, nodding furiously in agreement.

"But that's easy," Lucy said as she stood up, dusting off her dress and cupping her hands to call Natsu over to their blanket. He crawled out of his fathers tickling hold on the ground, grinning as he answered her.

"What's up, Luce?" He asked, and she leaned over to whisper in his ear, his cheeks tinting and eyes shooting towards the girl's light laughs and hand-covered mouths. His mouth twisted uncomfortably as Lucy's wide eyes begged for him to comply.

"N-Not in front of everyone!" He yelled sharply as he grabbed her wrist and ran off into the small, dense forest.

"I don't know, I'm not talking to Gajeel until he says he's sorry." Levy huffed as she turned away from the metal dragon that slowly began to approach her. The stalemate between them had gone on for almost two weeks; when Metalicana was babysitting them, he would sigh as Levy sat quietly in a corner with a stack of books to occupy herself, confidently ignoring his son.

The young dragon gripped his hands nervously as he walked towards his pixie best friend, looking back at his father and uncle who ushered him to keep moving forward. He gulped as he stood in front of her, her head turned away and her arms crossed in annoyance. He was happy that she was wearing the headband he gave to her, which they later found out could change color and pattern to whichever she could think of. It was classic white at the moment, matching her plain sundress. Before he could speak, she got up and ran away towards the woods Lucy and Natsu had shortly exited. The two were smiling as Natsu ran after her, Happy joining in on their sudden game of tag.

"Shri- I-I mean Levy! H-Hold on!" Gajeel shouted as he ran after her, the blue-haired girl not making it very far on her shorter legs. She seemed to jingle lightly, the sound comparable to a bell, both tripping as he accidentally tackled her.

"W-What, meanie Gajeel?!" She fumed as he quickly shoved his hand out for her to see, a metal band sitting in his palm.

"Metalicana helped me make this for you... I'm sorry for being mean, Levy…" He flushed as she took the bracelet; it was kind of big and was bound to slip off if she wasn't careful, but it was made that way so it would fit properly when she grew up.

"...Promise not to be mean anymore?" She asked as she slipped it on, his head nodding rapidly as they looked at one another.

"Promise!"

"Natsu gives Lucy kisses... she even gets to make him purr like Happy!" Tears welled in her eyes for a moment as she began her rant. "Why can't we be best friends like them...?"

"A dragon kiss? Metalicana told me how to give one." He shrugged as he rose to his feet, dusting off the grass that stuck to him. Gajeel held a hand out to help her up, Levy agreeing to want his kiss. He took her wrist in his hand, sniffing it cautiously before sinking his teeth lightly into her glowing skin. She yelped and instantly pulled away, going to rub her supposed bleeding wrist, only to find herself free of damage.

"Gajeel, that's not a kiss." She glared slightly as he rose an eyebrow to her strange comment.

"That's a dragon kiss! There aren't any other kisses." He scoffed as she frowned. She pulled his arm roughly, their eyes at an equal height before pressing her lips to his. Gajeel was surprised as her pillowy lips left him, both cheeks pink as they absently stared at each other.

Juvia was again in deep thought as the Fullbuster parents tucked her in, kissing her on the forehead before turning off her light and closing the door. She huffed, still having yet to ask her darling Gray for a gift. Although she felt like being with him every day was more than enough. Juvia, of course, missed her mother, but it was hard to feel lonely when so much love surrounded her. There were days she wanted to cry, but her precious beloved was always there to make her day ten times brighter. Gray was Gray, and she hoped to stay by his side forever. The mermaid had barely even spent enough time with him today since she spent her time at the park with Erza and Wendy, thinking of gift ideas. And she was also upset because he had been stuck to Ultear's side, both of them talking about the classes they had already had with one another.

Juvia kicked herself out of her blankets, grabbing one of her 'Gray-onii-sama' dolls before jumping to open her door. She tiptoed over to Gray's room, his door creaking as she opened and closed it quickly. Hesitantly standing at his bedside, she shook his shoulder to see if he were awake. He turned over and puffed his cheeks out at the sight of her surprisingly well-made doll replicating him.

"For Juvia's birthday wish, can Juvia sleep with Gray-onii-sama?" She asked as she jutted out her bottom lip and clasped her hands together as she pled. He nodded, forcing a bored look as she squealed, crawling into bed with the tsundere sprite.

"But leave that creepy thing on the floor. You don't need a doll if you hold onto me." He was glad it was dark so he could hide his softened expression as she dropped the toy, before proceeding to wrap her arms tightly around his frame.

"Do you think it was a good idea to tell Gray-chan to think of Juvia as family?" Mika wondered out loud as she rested against her husband's bare chest.

"It was for the best, no? I think Gray would get upset if he knew that we registered Juvia as his omiai partner." Silver chuckled at the idea of his red-faced son trying to beat off the hyper mermaid as she aggressively clung to him.

"But you see the way they look at each other, I think this might stress them out as they grow up." She sighed.

"Then, I think we should tell them when they turn seventeen. Those two will be grown up enough by then to decide what to do."

Metalicana laughed with his son as he tossed him into the air, swinging him around before plopping the fledgling onto his bed, sighing as the day's tiredness caught up with them.

"I hope you'll continue to be on your best behavior with Levy-chan from now on." His father hummed as he tucked his son into bed.

"I promised," Gajeel nodded as the older dragon smiled softly. "I gave her a dragon kiss too, she asked me for one."

"Eh? Dragon kiss?" Metalicana chuckled for a moment before a sense of dread filled his stomach. As the young dragon began to doze off, his father took in his son's scent, eyes bulging at the clear mistake the two had made. "Oh...crap.''

* * *

 **I've always thought grapes were Juvia's fruit and blueberries are Gray's cx that's prolly just me lmao but I dig it**

 **So I kind of don't want to care about my other stories at the moment, mostly cuz I need to outline them a little more, which I could do in a day but FUCK IT I like doing whatever the fuck I want**

 **IM SORRY BUT NOT REALLY BECAUSE I LOVE THIS GODDAMN STORY**

 **Like this major plot but just doing whatever the hell I think of and let these cute babies live their fucking lives, IM SO HAPPY HERE  
**

 **I have to plan out the next Unsatisfied too, I don't like writing lemons without concrete direction because they're so hard for me and I like getting them perf**

 **But yeah watch me just do what I want because I'm way too happy oops**

 **I was dealing with an annoying ass anti on tumblr and omg they can't get anything straight? Seriously not worth the effort. Antis don't know how to do anything but insult and can't even clap back**

 **HEY, I FORGOT SOMETHING idk if I said it or not and idk where id look but did I say what gray's dad was? Idk if I assigned him his type and I'm lost looking for it, lemme know the same about Gray's mom tho I think I said she's a sprite which is as it should be**

 **Btw I think rboz blocked me on tumblr and I'm like why? My tumblrs barely relevant soooo what I do tho, I can't find her on mobile anymore idk if that's just me tho**


	12. Salamander?

**I wanted to post this since I start school on the 20th and will definitely be putting more focus on school because I'm transferring to Long Beach and I need solid grades just to ensure my transfer**

 **So I hope you read that although PM me if you're curious to see what I'm working on**

 **Rboz blocked me omg I'm literally so irrelevant on tumblr how did this happen**

 **I have a lot of IMPORTANT things to list after the chapter so I hope you'll listen!**

* * *

Grandine laid her glaring eyes onto her nervous brother-in-law, smacking a rolled up magazine in her hands as she did so. He rubbed the sore spots on his head and cringed as he made eye contact with the snarling dragons that sat across from him.

"I cannot begin to understand why you even consider telling Gajeel about such a life-changing ritual without explaining what it means for our kind." The sky dragon's words bit through the air fiercely and beat down on the defeated metal manipulator.

"It's not like I could have assumed he would have done it so carelessly!" He exclaimed, shrinking back as their harsh stares refused to let up.

"Natsu almost marked Lucy because he heard from your son," Igneel tsked, watching his nephew listen to Levy read from one of her books while absentmindedly scratching the sensitive spot at the base of his head. His tail wagged happily as he let out a stream of purrs and cozied himself against the pixie's crossed leg.

"We can't do anything about it now that it's happened... Gajeel won't even know what he's done until he comes of age, we'll have to worry about it then. At most, he's going to be overprotective." He huffed, yelping as Grandine brought the magazine down on his head once again. Wendy sat in her high chair between her parents, staring curiously at her obviously upset uncle. She slapped her tray gleefully, suddenly burping and sending a fast whirlwind into his cowered face. The baby sky dragon laughed at the sight of his new twisted hairdo, her mother patting her back with an astonished look.

"Good job, Wendy."

Silver walked hand in hand with Erza and Juvia as they approached the Milkovich residence; it was an old-fashioned Japanese estate, surrounded by thick cement walls with ceiling tiles adorning their tops. The front entrance was a large wooden door that creaked open as Silver pushed open the thick timber. The girls ooed at the sight of the delicate scenery held before them, the cobblestone path lined with intricate foliage and riddled with an abundance of maple and sakura trees. Straying from their path, they walked around the main house where the sounds of battle clashing rang in their ears. Juvia was quick to spot her beloved sprite, containing her excitement as he focused on blocking one of Ultear's attacks. Ur was busy practicing proper stances with her other pupil, making sure he held his hands together when performing his magic. They took their usual seat underneath the wide berth of a nearby tree, waiting for their current training session to end.

"Good afternoon," Jellal greeted, holding a tray of tea, a box of grape juice, and a carton of strawberry milk. Erza cowered under his gaze, hesitantly sipping on her milk while Meredy shimmied clumsily down his back. She toddled over to the mermaid who was ready to greet her, both of them becoming fast friends during the time Juvia had come with Silver to retrieve Gray from his training. The pink-haired girl was barely three years old and at most could walk and speak garbled sentences to the others. Ur had warned them to be wary of her leaking powers, she was a Deamon, one specifically that had the ability to alter and increase the emotions of whoever was near her. It would only happen when someone became overemotional and triggered her response to manipulate their feelings. I was especially hard for Juvia to keep her feelings for Gray under wraps, the daemon more times than one linking Erza to her erratic heart. This, for example, was an ill-fated moment for the valkyrie when the recognizable pink band wrapped around her wrist. Juvia couldn't help but well up as her heart filled at the sight of Gray's intense battle stare. His serious face was one that could always steal her breath away.

"E-Erza, do you want to come inside to meet my cousins? They fight with swords too." He flushed as she clung excitedly to his torso. Her usual stiff eyes were sparkling as they melted under his soft eyes, her head nodding rapidly at the sound of his invitation.

"I'd love to, Jellal-sama!" She chirped as he walked away with her, their arms linked forcibly. Silver put down his lacrima cell after sending the video he had taken of her intense out of character behavior to her mother, snickering as he ruffled Meredy's hair.

"I'll never get tired of seeing that,"

As the two stood in front of the sliding door, Erza regained her composure and shrunk away as Jellal encouraged her not to be overly embarrassed. Opening the door, his cousins clashed their wooden swords together, both falling on their behind as the force of their attacks pushed them back.

"Simon, Kagura, this is my friend Erza." He introduced them, her shy demeanor shoved to the side as they smiled and held out their hands to greet her. Kagura was about the same age as Erza, while Simon's mimicked Jellal's.

"You have very good fighting forms, are you valkyrie as well?" She asked as they shook their heads.

"Brother and I are descendants of Hephaestus, we wield demon swords," Kagura smirked proudly, attempting to size up the red-haired girl.

"W-We haven't had the chance to use them yet, but we train with wooden swords all the time," Simon explained, his cheeks flushed as he laid eyes on Erza. The valkyrie offered to show them her weapons, pulling out the keychains she had purchased previously from her pocket of space, showing off their growing ability and the elements they were able to deflect. Kagura stole her attention to challenge her to a sparring match, both Simon and Jellal enthralled by their fight.

"She's cool…" Simon fawned, watching Erza bring her sword roughly down on Kagura's, the godborn falling quickly on her behind. She huffed as she got back up, their dance with swords never missing its beat and falling into a fast-paced rhythm.

"Yeah," Jellal replied simply, although he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous as she quickly got along with the two of them. Was he just that unapproachable that she felt unable to speak when he was near? The rest of her bunch seemed to accept him well enough...

Natsu stared at Lucy's puckered lips, giving her her third kiss in a row as Happy snickered at the fledgling's embarrassed expression.

"Another one, Natsu!" Lucy giggled, her grin wide as his cheeks flushed.

"I don't like to when Happy's watching! He keeps laughing!" The dragon blew steam from his nose as the kitten rolled around, cackling at his foster parent's annoyed face.

"But Natsu..." Lucy pouted, flashing her puppy eyes intensely and pulling on his arm to gain his favor. He was weak for her begging stare, grumbling as he gave in and kissed her expecting lips.

"Again!" She laughed as his slight annoyance turned up into a soft grin. He liked kissing Lucy when she smiled that much.

"Why do Nachu and Lushii kiss?" Happy asked as he recomposed himself, his adoptive parents pulling away from each other as they shared another embrace.

"We're best friends," Natsu huffed as he crossed his arms, Lucy giggling and nodding along with him.

"It's fun! You should kiss Natsu too, Happy!" The star cheered as she lifted the exceed, pushing him towards the pink-haired boy who shook his head rapidly. The two of them laughed wildly as they ran after Natsu, insisting that he give his furry companion a smooch. Happy took to the skies as Natsu conjured his wings and flew out of Lucy's reach. Taking a seat to catch her breath as they flew around above her, her eyes catching a strange man juggling blue fire, making his way past her and towards the bridge. She approached him curiously, finding herself drawn in by his peculiar appearance and somewhat of a mischievous grin.

"Hello there, oujo-chan, I'm Salamander, the magician! Welcome to my show!" He greeted her, Lucy giggling as she suddenly became enthralled by his performance. Her heart beat excitedly as she watched him, her feet moving to follow him as she watched his magic fly. What was this unexpected feeling? She had only felt so fluffy in her chest when Natsu would give in and return the kiss she had begged for.

Natsu laughed with his kitten as he caught up with him, both of them diving to land on the soft grass as they hugged, expecting Lucy to run up and greet them. He looked around for his missing best friend, finding her as she jumped up in the slight distance, clapping and cheering for the man who tossed fire for her entertainment. He scrunched his nose as he placed Happy atop his pink locks and began to walk in Lucy's direction. The fledgling felt oddly on edge as he walked towards the star, his scales automatically spreading across his body as his instincts alerted him. Cautiously taking a look around them, Natsu noticed the eery silence that filled the park, no one but them as far as one could see. He growled lowly in his chest, his pace picking up as he made contact with his best friend's hand.

"Luce, let's go home. Mama's making lunch soon, " He said somewhat urgently and shook her shoulder to gain her attention. She turned to face him, hearts were full in her pupils before their image shattered and returned her rational state of mind.

"Eh? Natsu? When did we get over here?" Lucy wondered as she looked around them, confused as to how they had suddenly crossed the park when they were just by its entrance.

"Please don't leave, ojou-chan, I still have so much to show you." The stranger's grin grew into a sickly sinister shape as the two began to slowly back away, Natsu's senses sniffing out the scent of others suddenly approaching them.

"Run, Lucy!" Natsu shouted as he tightened his grip on her wrist, rushing towards the exit that let out in front of his home. Men popped up and out of the bushes surrounding them, following behind the mad fire user who began to chase them.

"I want that star! She doesn't leave this park without us!" He roared, his crew shouting along with them as they tried to corner the three.

"Igneel!" Natsu called out as he rushed away with Lucy, haphazardly dodging the bad guys as he dragged Lucy behind him. Her eyes welled with tears as she looked towards the sudden onslaught of scary men reaching out and trying to grab her. She shouted for them to rush into their hideout, the location being one they would be safe to hide in. Natsu nodded as he spat fire at the man who ran in front of him, attempting to cut off their path. Happy cringed as a large palm hovered over him, the bandit screaming as Lucy had heated her palm and burned his wrist. They dove into the trees, skidding and falling into their secret hideout as the strange band of men surrounded the barely thick forest. Lucy put her hands against the border of the Fleuve d'étoiles, binding the barrier with more protection as the wicked men flooded the area.

"Little star… I know you're hiding somewhere…" 'Salamander' hummed as he stood in front of the warped wall that protected them. Lucy shuddered and yelped as he stared at them, Natsu quickly holding her close to his chest. The magician failed to see the three children as the river of stars protected them, a view of another grassy edge of the woods was all that bounced back into his vision. The disgruntled men refused to leave the thicket, Lucy white as a ghost as they continued to call for her.

"Heartfilia...We don't wish to hurt you...there's a fun place we want to take you to...to play with you." Their lies were obvious and saturated in a thick layer of false sweetness, Natsu covering her ears as they continued to taunt her. He growled lowly in his chest, his fire itching to blow them all away. He held the two as they shivered, Happy tucking his ears as he gripped onto his favorite stuffed fish, unable to bring his head out of the safety that was Natsu and Lucy's laps.

"Wha- Boss!" One man managed to get out before he shouted in pain, his body thudding to the ground. One by one the bandits were releasing cries of battle and agony as they were taken out, the familiar smell of smoke and metal filling the air around them. Natsu cheered as he knew his father and uncle had come out to save them, freeing Lucy and Happy from his hold as he ran to greet Igneel.

"N-Natsu!" Lucy called after him as he left the barrier, only standing at its edge as he looked for his father. The familiar silver hair of his uncle caught his eye, the young dragon quickly making a beeline for his family member.

"Natsu, no!" Igneel shouted as he rushed out from around trees ahead of him, a hand suddenly wrapping around his throat as he was lifted into the air. Eyes wide and hands scratching at the one that held him, Natsu felt an intense fear as the man that kept him cackled fiercely. Metalicana and Igneel growled, their movements halted as they thought of a plan to quickly save their young.

"The Heartfilia girl or I burn your son alive," He threatened, the older dragons both loosening the tension in their shoulders at the sound of such ridiculous intimidation.

"I'm afraid you're the one that's going to have to worry about getting burned alive." His father snarled as he pounded his fist into his hand, fire exploding between them.

"D-Don't hurt him!" Lucy cried as she jumped out of the bushes, wrapping herself around the captor's leg as she raised her temperature and scarred his leg with her heat. He yelled, his grip on Natsu loosening and the boy fell to the ground as he coughed roughly, eyes phasing in and out of vision as he watched the leader kick Lucy. His heart stopped and time slowed as the wild grimace on 'Salamander's' face grew, his flaming fist aiming for Lucy as she became sprawled out on the ground. The older dragons rushed to aid her, their movements halted as a bright light exploded before them, the ground torn up around the lion's knee as Loke caught his aimed punch.

"I'm sorry for the long wait, princess."

* * *

 **Fucking dramaaaaaaa i love it**

 **this was for sure a development chapter? Idk but it had a lot hinting towards the future**

 **For reals tho someone tells me if I named Silver's and Mika's** **powers idk if I did and I don't wanna look for it**

 **I kind of want to add FlareLu at some point thnx LikuBears for giving me the energy to ship it. We'll see Cana soon!**

 **I think it'd be cool if Natsu and Lucy could keep this close/kissing relationship as they grow up and as I write this I totally thought of a scenario so whoops it's happening and you're gonna love it imma love it**

 **but I'm worried about it coming off as forced? I feel like it's a good idea because you rarely see something like that between Natsu and Lucy**

 **not really friends with benefits but best friends with benefits? Lmao idk but more like fluffy benefits because I don't wanna hardcore lemon this shit**

 **probs softcore lawl**

 **Let me know what you think tho? What would be the best way to write something like that you think**

 **MissVarta I think you'll be happy to know this**

 **I thought of a really cool future fight scene and omg, Lucy is gonna fuck someone up with a hidden power I've just given her**

 **Umm next chapter ideas? I'll prolly follow up with what this one was all about**

 **Edens Zero is actually really good! I hope you're not too skeptical to join the fandom!**


	13. Visit

**Guess who is petty and wasn't going to write a new chapter until who knows when BUT NOW IS HEATED SO BITCH SHE'S WRITING ANOTHER CHAPTER**

 **I hope you read my rant last chap, it was valid, I will clap in your face**

 **I realize as well that in chapter 4, Gray's parents told him to think of her as a sister**

 **WHOOPS**

 **That was not supposed to happen, I forget what I write like 50% of the time so I fixed that**

 **I changed the line so that they tell him to think of her as _family_ , making it vague and like they never said the word sister, which is gonna come into play in the future**

 **^^^^^^^^^ read that shit if you want to get woke**

* * *

It had seemed like a long week, Lucy refusing to leave the safety of her bedroom. Igneel, Metalicana, and Loke were quick to apprehend the men hunting Lucy; Grandine having gone to alert the army box of the sudden infestation of bandits in the park. A soldier had recognized their leader and guild mark, the man being Bora of Titan Nose. They were recently discovered for kidnapping rare species as children and selling them at the border lining Bosco into female slave rings. The Heartfilia's were one of the only known golden star families that existed in Fiore, making Lucy one of their prime targets. Golden stars were a dime a dozen and the only ones with the ability to summon the full twelve zodiacs, including the Celestial King himself if need be. There were also silver stars walking amongst Earthland, and more of them too, that had the ability to call upon the other seventy-six stars; if powerful enough, they could summon one or two of the zodiac, like the Agria family. They had been stalking the girl for a couple of weeks, choosing that day in the park to attempt to steal her away. The army wanted to be precautious and informed the neighborhood to stay indoors, in case any Titan Nose members were still in the area. **  
**

Natsu was steaming with anger as he paced in Erza's backyard, his best friend had been refusing to see him. She would only allow Plue to come in, and out of her room, even then Layla was the only one who could understand what the little spirit was saying. His parents wouldn't let him fly over on his own either and were respecting Layla's wishes to let Lucy have a little time to herself. Her father would be arriving soon to visit so she hoped Lucy would feel better then. Erza was drilling them and began with strength training; Natsu lifting Wendy and Happy as if they were weights, the blue kitten holding onto the baby Dragneel in case she was to fall while Gray did push-ups with Juvia sitting on his back. Gajeel and Levy were back at Metalicana's house, the pixie's mother not wanting her to leave the area between their two homes. Natsu preferred that his cousin was away, he had a strange scent floating around himself and Levy now that made him want to avoid them just a bit.

The three were forcing themselves to push past their usual limits in order to gain more strength to protect each other from another attack if it were to occur again. Natsu had rushed to Lucy's side after Loke had seized the strange man, the star having fainted from such an intense experience. His father had applauded his valor while scolding him for jumping out of his hiding place while he wasn't fully aware of his surroundings. Grandine had sobbed over the bruise wrapped around his neck as she healed him, covering him in head-to-toe kisses as she lectured and praised his actions as well. Wendy was oblivious to the situation, as usual, her focus on attempting to fit her foot in her mouth. She succeeded in rolling onto her back and barely managed to pop her big toe past her dribbling lips. Happy was also celebrated for his bravery, the kitten unable to stop crying as the Dragneel family wrapped their arms around him.

Gray and Juvia were alerted of the situation, the Fullbuster parents explaining to the two that they couldn't go out on their own anymore and how they could only play in the backyards until the army gave them the all clear. The sprite was itching to see Natsu afterward, sure they were rivals, but there was a feeling that rested deep inside him that stirred as his parents told the two how the dragon had gotten injured. Juvia sensed his tension, her worry building up as she thought of Lucy having such scary men come after her. She gulped, there was once a man she had known that made her shiver relentlessly, but Gray had insisted that she would never see him again. The two had sighed endlessly for the rest of the day, antsy to see their friend in the morning. It was one of the times Gray would allow her to sleep in his bed, his previous thoughts shoved to the side as he glared down the stuffed doll she left sitting in the corner of the room. Per her flawed logic, Juvia felt better having two Gray's look after her. Their worry vanished as Natsu had greeted them at his door, his usual fired up personality rolling around and causing trouble.

"Tch, flame brain is still an idiot like always." Gray snickered, the dragon instantly starting a fight with him as he spoke those words.

Lucy was wrapped up in her pink comforter, sighing as she stared out her window, her shivering snowman-like puppy beside her. The other spirits had attempted to come through and watch over her, but the star had locked their gates from her end, refusing any visitors. Even her mama had a hard time getting through to her, the small dog carrying in the meals that she had prepared for her daughter. Her skin was still bleached white, and she was unable to find the sense of safety she had always known. The 'Salamander' would appear in her dreams, and she would wake up halfway through her sleep in a thick cold sweat. Her mother would rush in to calm the crying girl, not even her warmth was enough to keep the demons away. She was afraid to see Natsu as well, she worried if her scaly best friend would be mad at her for bringing such evil people to them. Her lip quivered at the thought of him refusing to continue their friendship,

"I don't want to kiss you anymore, Unlucky Lucy!" She imagined him shouting at her as he flew away, Happy sticking his tongue out at her before he took off along with the pink-haired boy.

"N-Natsu…" Round tears fell down her plain cheeks, soaking into the bundles of her blanket. If she were stronger like mama, she would have been able to call Loke in an instant instead of having to wait for him to travel on his own. It was harder for celestial spirits to leave the night sky during the day, especially if they were using their power to do so. If she weren't so weak, he would have been able to blow them all away in an instant. Plue looked warily at his star, his shaking paw gripping onto her cover as she sobbed.

"I hope I don't hear my daughter crying," Jude hummed as he pushed open her door slowly, peeking his head inside her room. She quickly turned around at the sound of his deep timber, a voice she hadn't heard for the last few weeks.

"Papa…" Her color filled with its familiar cornflower blue, her cries growing louder as she untangled herself from her blanket and rushed into his open arms.

"I'm so glad you're safe, Lucy," He sighed as he held her close to his chest, patting her head and back as she released her built up sadness.

"I-It was so scary, Papa! I-I-I….!" She hiccuped as she tried to explain the events that had previously transpired, her father shaking his head as he wiped away her tears.

"Those terrible men are in jail now, Lucy. You don't have to think about it anymore." He reassured her as she began to calm down. She slowly nodded as she felt her sorrow lighten in her chest, Jude carrying her down the stairs as the color started to return to her cheeks.

"Well look who's finally out of her room," Layla smiled warmly as she kissed her daughter on the cheek, scooping up the small spirit as he toddled after the two.

The Heartfilia family gathered in the kitchen as they made rice balls for a midday snack, Lucy regaining some of her happiness as she told her father about all the wonderful friends she had made, going into excessive detail about her dragon pal, a potent wave of peachy pinkwashing over her as she recalled the sweet kisses he gave her. She giggled secretly at the memories, refusing to let her parents know just what she had done with Natsu. Loke had visited by the will of her mother, the lion spirit ecstatic to see his princess bright and bubbly once again, Lucy squeezing his airways shut as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. Capricorn had also come to encourage her to let the other spirits come to meet her, they were all restless to see the state of the Heartfilia heiress. One by one, the zodiac had visited to make sure she felt better, each of them leaving her a small gift as they came and went. Cancer had restyled her messy bun into her classic pigtails, Aries giving her a pink wool pillow that smelled of the stars, Taurus shared some of his homemade ice cream (which they were skeptical of eating), Gemini snickered as they transformed into Lucy's form and mocked her with funny faces, Scorpio offering a scorpion and Layla quickly sending him back with it, Virgo offering her the hilt of a weapon so that she would have an item to channel her Fleuve d'étoiles into, Sagittarius giving her some of his best hay, Aquarius all but handing her a lecture to never lock their gates again, Libra and Pisces unable to visit because they were out on another call.

Lucy sat in front of her window again after her parents had tucked her in, her gifted items resting on the sill next to her as she mapped out the constellations she could see from her room. The weapons handle, Lucy later found out, could change its shape to that of a hair clip for easy storage, which currently held aside her loose fringe. Her eyes widened at the sudden sight of her best friend whisking through the air, speeding right for her open window. She squeaked and ducked as he barrel-rolled onto her bed, his signature grin spreading as they made eye contact.

"Natsu, wha-" She was interrupted as he tackled her with a hug, the troubled star beginning to giggle as he snuggled into her chest.

"I missed you, Luce!" He whisper-shouted, pouting as he raised his head.

"Aren't you mad at me?" She wondered as his nose scrunched up in the funny way she had always liked.

"Eh? I could never get mad at Lucy!" He affirmed, shocked to even hear those words.

"B-But Natsu got hurt because of me…" Her golden hue dyed a soft blue once again as she lowered her head. The young dragon roughly cupped her cheeks as he frowned, smushing his lips blindly against hers in an attempt to flush her with a much preferred pink.

"Mama is a healer, so I'm okay! Lucy is the one everyone's worried about. Erza and Juvia miss you a lot. Even ice princess."

"You don't want to stop kissing me then?" She gasped as he quirked at her weird question.

"Lucy is the only one I'll give kisses to," He murmured, flushing as her smile grew and her golden shine returned.

"Then one more!"

Igneel would have been upset the next morning as he noticed his sons absence, glad his wife was still asleep otherwise she would have blown their home apart trying to find him. His heartbeat ticked loudly in his ears as he heard the fledgling snoring in the home of the Heartfilias. Next time Lucy had him over for a tea party, he wouldn't hesitate to make his son wear another one of her poofy dresses. Those photos would prove useful when his idiot son was to grow up.

* * *

 **Um but yeah I'm starting school again so I won't be very consistent**

 **is anyone gonna tell me if I said what Silver and Mika are cuz i don't knoooooow and don't wanna look for iiiiiit so teeell meeeeee i loooooove you**

 **Watch Bravest Warriors if you love Adventure Time and if you're bored**

 **Again, canon story info**

 **They ain't related**

 **It's just some whack drama**

 **Like how could you even think that after chapter 4**

 **PM me if you want to start some shit, I'll fight**

 **Hearts for you nice folk**


	14. Gray Day

**Was it Gray day? No one tells me shit, I should have guessed since Mashima drew the cutest photo of Gray and eek**

 **So I wanted to write a one-shot right away while I'm free, and this story is actually the easiest one I've ever had the pleasure of creating**

 **Onward with the GrUvia!**

* * *

Gray stretched stiffly in their heated car, the Fullbuster family filing out and into the fresh air that blew the scent of the ocean into the parking lot. Juvia grinned widely as the body of water came into view, standing in front of it with arms wide open,

"It's the ocean!" She cheered, pulling the sluggish sprite towards the sand while her guardians unloaded the vehicle. Both were slow and uncomfortable in the sticky heat, the sun always beat down hotter near this particular cove, but they made do for Juvia.

She used to visit this edge of the beach to swim with her mother, the water apparently the best for water body rejuvenation. It wasn't like the family of ice users couldn't function under the sun, though it did make them slower and listless depending on the heat.

It was a habit for the Fullbuster family to strip unconsciously when they needed to cool down, Mika already ready to pick up the shirt and shoes her husband and son had riddled on their way towards the beach. Silver propped up a canopy in the sand near a fire pit for them to roast kabobs, his wife laying down their blankets and setting up chairs, both smiling softly as their eyes spotted the mermaid dragging Gray to the edge of the water.

"You always disappear when you go swimming, Juvia...It's no fun swimming with you." Gray huffed, folding his arms and looking away as he faked a dramatic pout. Although it was true, the ocean was Juvia's real home, and she loved to swim as fast as she could, greeting all the sea creatures she could before the day ended. The mermaid begged with wide eyes as she continued to usher and tug him towards the water, promising to keep herself by his side this time. He huffed, saying that she shouldn't hold herself back and to thoroughly enjoy her time in the water.

"Gray-onii-sama can swim with me! Mama taught Juvia how to help someone breathe underwater," She grinned, spitting into her hand and holding it towards the cringing sprite. Fully expecting her to ask him to drink it, she rubbed her saliva onto his neck, quickly pulling him into the water before he could refuse her tail forming as soon as they were submerged under the waves.

The raven-haired boy panicked for a moment as he tried to rush to the surface for air, Juvia holding him down and shaking her head, pointing to the newly formed gills that would temporarily grant him the ability to breathe underwater. His voice was unable to travel correctly along the movement of the water, the mermaid swishing her tail happily as she pulled him along, showing him her favorite parts of the cove. It was hard for Gray to focus on the scenery around them, the rare sparkle of Juvia's tail catching his attention. Her scales were sprinkled with periwinkle, seafoam green, and paled turquoise, her fin a solid blue that matched her hair. Her skin glistened, and her hair bounced in the rippling tide, her chest wrapped in a seaweed silk tube top.

She pointed out the reef full of fish, greeting those that she knew personally and showing off Gray as her one and only beloved. He was unable to understand whatever she was saying when she greeted the sea animals but flushed and turned away when she spoke to them, cozying up to his side; he was sure Juvia was telling them how much she loved him when she did that. She held his hand as she whisked him quickly through the water, pointing out every bit of the underwater wonder she knew so well, hoping it would impress the ice sprite.

They probably spoke to every fish they saw, admired every piece of coral and sea anemone, struggled to untie Juvia from a swaying bed of seaweed before her spell on Gray's neck began to fade. Rushing to the surface, his parents waved for him to come back to land, Juvia shyly saying she wanted to spend more time in the water before eating. He nodded and promised to relay her message to his mother as she approached them, the mermaid melting into the water, her body becoming one with the ocean. It was something she learned from her mother, to let their water body slip into the sea to regain their human form for as long as they would be away from the ocean; Juvia always came out of it ten times happier when she let her liquid form thrive.

* * *

 **I adore this ship, kinda short but I just wanted a sweet lil moment**

 **I saw the word count and FUCK THIS WAS TOO SHORT, you deserve so much more fluff, next chapter watch me try to post it tomorrow**

 **Haters to the left, if you didn't know what message BTS are spreading**

 **The next chapter is going to showcase all of the ships! And a surprise appearance of a character I won't name just yet cx**

 **Tbh imma prolly fluff it tf up, it'll melt in your mouth**

 **Let's hope I write something tomorrow lawl I really want to, tho I have a poem about water I have to write for my creative writing class**

 **UMM would you be mad if I let out a short lemon tho? Idk which one imma work on, but I really want to post tomorrow so I will try my best! Gonna sit in my room and write!**

 **If you haven't read my one-shot Fire, I kind of might include a couple more one-shots, I like that universe, tho I don't wanna make it a huge thing lol I have ideas for two more short stories tho**

 **Would it be wrong to imply that Fire idea in this story? I want to give NaLu a bit more something since 'rational' Natsu won't get to mark Lucy as quickly as Gajeel cx**


	15. Reunion Ball

**Climb aboard the fluff train**

 **Mild jealousy included**

 **I'm supposed to be writing a poem but oops**

 **Seriously I missed this amped up fluff**

* * *

Lucy sighed as she propped her head up with her hands, looking out a big window in her bedroom that overlooked her family's rose garden. She pouted and ignored her maid running around behind her, trying to prepare the young miss for the event the Heartfilia's were hosting that evening. It had been two weeks since her father had forcefully moved them back to their estate, just to give Lucy some space after the incident. Although Jude was notably shocked when he went to wake up his darling daughter and found her dragon best friend wrapped around her sparkling sleeping state. (Her light would dim as she slept, making it more comfortable for those around her to fall asleep). Lucy was curled delicately against his chest, her drool pooling on his pajama tee, Natsu's tail having come out to wrap around her leg. He was baffled at the sight, quick to separate them and rush his wife out of the house for an early trip back to their estate. When Natsu was to wake at the realization of Lucy's lost heat, he would find himself in his own bed, running downstairs for his father to explain that the Heartfilia's were going to be away for a little while. It was one of the rare times since Natsu grew from an infant that his father would see him cry, soothing both his son and Happy as they realized they'd be starved for the star's attention for almost half a month. His mother had woken, extremely startled by the unusual sound of Natsu crying, rushing down the stairs to make sure he was okay. She laughed a bit to herself as he spoke past his tears to tell her that Lucy wouldn't be home 'until forever'. It wasn't until they received an invitation from the Heartfilia Konzern, requesting them to attend their annual 'Starry Sky's and Sun Village Ball' that anyone understood why Lucy and Layla would be away until their assumed date of return. **  
**

"Lucy-sama, your friends will be here soon, don't you want to look your best for them?" Spetto said, tired as she had gathered the things to dress Lucy in for the party, ready to have the star refuse to get ready. She had never been one to enjoy the stuffy dresses required for her family's massive events. Instead, she was quick to jump off her window seat rushing to her maid with wide and surprised eyes.

"Eh?! Does that mean Natsu is coming with everyone else?! I didn't know!" She gasped as her maid nodded and confirmed her suspicions. Lucy hurried her maid to take her to the bath, making sure she was washed thoroughly and faded red thanks to the hot water. Cancer was summoned to help her pin her hair into a curly and tight bun, Virgo fitting her into a blue and white ballgown. It was made of silk, a petticoat underneath to flair the bottom half out princess style, the ruffles of her skirt light blue while the top was white and soft blue transparent sleeves wrapped around her upper arms. It wasn't long before her mother came to walk her to the ballroom, guests were filing into the grand hall as Lucy had been getting ready. She jumped excitedly as they approached the door the two would make their entrance through, her mother calming her with her words before they were to walk out. They had to wait for their introduction and conduct the summoning of their otherworldly guests before Lucy could descend the stairs and run towards her group of dearly missed companions. A light tap on her shoulder made her turn quickly, familiar brown eyes and silver skin filling her own with a timid smile. She hugged Yukino with widespread arms, both girls happy to see one another after being apart for such a long time. Their families were both stars, so they met often when needed to council with the other, although they usually only saw each other at the annual spirits event. Angel, Yukino's sister, huffed at the sight of the eager blonde, her mother greeting Layla as they both stood in front of the tall wooden door. They exchanged niceties before hearing their names announced to the guests, servants opening the doors for the two families to step through. They stood at the top of the staircase as their guests clapped, each of them waving with broad smiles. The room was scarce, the hall large enough to fit three times the number of guests that had even arrived. Lucy saw Natsu jumping up in the back of the crowd, waving his hand as Igneel held the other and insisted he wait a couple more minutes before making a charge at the young star. Layla addressed the audience, thanking them for coming to their most unique event, one that would be remembered for another year, and one that newcomers were surely never going to forget. Yukino held Lucy's hand with a soft smile as the two families stood together, their skin increasing in brightness as they summoned their powers to their surface. Layla and the Agria mother were, of course, more powerful than their daughters but added strength would ease the strain of magic they were about to release.

"Open, 88 Gates of the Heavens, Doorway to the Sun Village, spirits come forth!" They all chanted, a rumble and unsteady vibrations moving through the half-empty ballroom, the loud chime of their doorbells rang, and the wind rushed, a shower of light raining down on them, the hall suddenly filled with the spirits who had answered their call. The guests clapped and cheered wildly for the spectacular performance and magic achieved by the five women, the party quick to enter into a full swing as they began to mingle with the spirits. Lucy rushed down the stairs as soon as her mother had let her go, taking Yukino with her to greet her friends. As soon as they reached the bottom, the silver star was pulled back by a rough hand, a familiar white dragon smirking as he tugged on the girl's arm.

"Oi, Yukino's not allowed to leave without me!" Sting glared at Lucy, the golden girl pouting as she tugged back.

"You always try to keep Yuki to yourself, dummy Sting!" Lucy stuck her tongue at the boy who growled, succeeding in pulling Yukino to his side.

"I'm her protector, you can't have Yukino!" He snickered, yelping as Lucy stomped on his foot and ran off with the silver star once again. She grumbled, saying that Sting was only interested in snacking on her light, he would always try to eat some of either of them when they weren't paying attention. He roared as he ran after them, dragging his brother along as they tried to sniff Lucy out of the crowd. The Eucliffe-Cheney family had been charged with the protection of Yukino and Angel; Sting and Rouge currently training to be their bodyguards for as long as the two girls were learning to master their abilities. It was hard keeping her away from Sting's annoying hands, eventually giving in to letting him be the one to hold her hand. Rogue was more than indifferent, just waiting for a chance for him to slip away and take a nap in the shadows. They at least continues to follow Lucy through the crowd, their path again blocked by a young red-haired girl, her smile wide and slightly crooked, eyes more than delighted to be laid on the celestial princess.

"Flare!" Lucy greeted the sun village maiden with a hair clamored hug, the spirit always glad to welcome her with her Crimson Hair.

"I missed you, girly!" Flare fawned over the blonde, eagerly rubbing her cheek against hers as she wrapped her in her fiery locks.

"Don't get too excited, Flare. You don't know your strength yet." One of her many fathers laughed as he picked up their collective daughter as she flushed, nodding and untying her hair from around the golden star. Lucy grinned as she as picked up as well, giving Flare a peck on the cheek and a promise to play with her as soon as she found and met her other friends first. The sun maiden lived upon the eternal flame (their name for the sun) where their village of giants flourished in a city protected by the heat and flames of their star. They had been granted Flare from a falling comet, her hair blessed with magic granted by the eternal flame. The Sun Villagers were warriors that the golden stars could call upon, their next hurdle to conquer after becoming able to call all twelve of the zodiac members. It was rare for her mother to allow Flare over to play since she still had been learning to train her powers, with the help of her giant relatives. They were only given time together at this annual event, but there were many other spirits Flare, and her fathers had to greet before they could set her free to play.

"Who are we looking for?" Sting whined as the three continued to follow Lucy aimlessly through the crowd as she tried to reach the back wall where she had seen Natsu.

"My best friend! He's a dragon too!" She grinned, Sting and Rogue perking up at the mention of another dragon present at the party.

"Eh? Dragon? What kind!" He gasped as his brother nodded furiously along.

"A fire dragon, he's really cool too! I haven't seen him in for forever," Lucy whined as they trudged through the endless sea of adult legs.

"Looking a bit tired there, princess." Loke chuckled as he crouched down to greet Lucy with a kiss to her hand. "Are you on a mission?"

"I'm looking for Natsu, have you seen him?" She asked, grinning wildly as Loke pointed her in the proper direction. Quickly running to the right, Lucy pushed through the crowd and found her eyes landing on Gray and Juvia, the ice sprite flushing as he fed his mermaid a finger sandwich. She rushed to hug them both, tears daring to fall as their smiles stretched hers to her ears. They followed her on her hunt for the fire dragon, Juvia attempting to make friends with Yukino but Sting continued to be overprotective and growled whenever one of them started talking. Erza was next to be found, hiding her face in a slice of strawberry shortcake as Jellal and Ultear stood with her, his sister holding Meredy as he fed her little pieces of his own dessert. The redhead was more than eager to join Lucy, excusing herself from Jellal as they continued on their trek to find Natsu. Gajeel and Levy were idling by the snack table, the two of them enjoying their fill of cream puffs and truffles. Rogue and Sting were awed to be meeting another dragon, their noses turning up as they faced Levy, she was someone they strangely felt they were not allowed to casually approach. Lucy felt a squeal rise like bile in her throat as she saw Igneel adjusting Natsu's bowtie even though it made him uncomfortable. Grandine fawned over Wendy, showing off her tiny ballgown to a group of women who crowded around the young girl and cooed as she burbled and stared blankly at the many faces in front of her. Happy spotted her first, flying quickly in her direction and almost knocking her over as he cried in her arms.

"Lushii! I missed you!" Happy bawled, burying his head in her chest, though trying his best to avoid shedding tears on her dress. Natsu heard the loud mention of her name, turning to face the waiting star, her eyes wide and tearful as he ran towards his best friend. Natsu flapped his wings out behind him, wrapping them around Happy and Lucy, hiding in a private cocoon for them to have a small reunion. Natsu lapped at her spilling tears, the young star giggling as he littered her cheeks with dragon kisses once again.

"I don't want to live without Lucy anymore," Natsu sighed as he buried his nose into the crown of her head, recharging himself with her scent. "Don't leave without me."

"I missed Natsu so much," She sighed happily as his warmth spread to her, her arms wrapped around his torso as Happy snuggled in between them. Pulling away slightly, Lucy tugged lightly at the front of his jacket, gaining his attention and making them both flush bright pink. They shared a soft kiss, giggling as they parted, ignoring the shouts of Sting wanting to challenge Natsu to a fight.

* * *

 **I want to write another solid fluffy story after this one and then I think** **they might start school**

 **I might read some FlareLu to get a feel for the way Flare talks and interacts with Lucy lol I don't know her so well dialouge wise**

 **But fr I'll update Memory Days next before I get back into this story lmao I had a lot of ideas for this chapter that I didn't want to forget**

 **Can I learn to stop time so I can just sit in the void and stack chapters to post on like a weekly? I feel like I might do that for my next stories, so I don't feel pressure to finish so quickly lolol**

 **I'm active on tumblr so if you want to send me an ask or be like bitch where u at, I'm nice af so I'll answer you**

 **Do you think I'm nice? Cuz I'm actually super nice lmao I mean like I can be petty and can clap back hard but I got a vibe you can fuck with**


	16. Heartfilia Mansion

**Um I mean I'm back because, like fuck**

 **like**

 **fuuck**

 **this story is fuckin cute, too cute and I needed more right away**

 **Fluff is life-giving ;-;**

 **BUT OMG OMG OMG**

 **HAVE YOU SEEN MY NEW COVER FOR THIS STORY?**

 **THE SWEET AMAZING _LKITYAN02_ ON TUMBLR DREW TWO PICTURES BASED ON GREEDY DRAGON!**

 **You have no idea how good this feels, this is such an honor oh my god, I literally cried when I saw it, my heart is full, I love her so much**

 **Take a look, she drew fanart of a dragon kiss too! I love it AH**

 **I mostly wanted to update this story just cuz it's easy and I'm so happy she drew such amazing pictures, I just had to return the love**

 **And I have IMPORTANT bits of info at the end**

* * *

Natsu cozied up to the sleeping star in his arms, his face falling into her… pillowy face? Lucy wasn't this squishy. He peeled open his eyes to find his arms wrapped around one of her many pillows on the oversized bed in the Heartfilia mansion. His panic began to rise as he looked around for Lucy, looking out the window to see that the moon was still full and bright in the night sky. It had been a couple hours since the parents had put their children to bed, the gang too tired to stay up past ten pm. Natsu and Lucy had only a short moment to giggle and hide under the stretch of his wings until Sting became impatient and wanted to tackle Natsu to test his strength. Flare had finished meeting the other spirits with her family and stole the blonde girl away to spend all the time she could with her at the ball. Gajeel also got swept up in the mess as Rogue found an interest in challenging another dragon, wanting to show off in front of his older brother. Though they were only a few minutes apart, Rogue was constant in his efforts to impress Sting. Levy and Erza were too interested in eating half the snack table, and Juvia took an expressed interest in meeting Aquarius, both introducing Gray and Scorpio to the other, having a lovey-dovey conversation about the ones they loved. He could hear the soft orchestra below them continue to play, the party still going on for the adults. Happy was still amongst them, though the kitten may have been tired the spirits were having fun petting him and trying their best to make him purr when they scratched him. The creak of the bathroom made him twitch and turned his attention to the star toddling back toward the bed in the dim light. She climbed up the stairs placed at the side, crawling back towards the flurry of pillows, only to yelp at the sight of an awake Natsu. She hit him with one of her pillows, her skin white from the moment of shock before he tackled her and dragged her back under the blankets. **  
**

"Natsu...what is it?" Lucy groaned as she peaked her head out of the poofy duvet, trying to wiggle her way out of the dragon's greedy hold. He hissed and bat at her hands that tried to pull on his arm that kept her trapped, nuzzling his nose into her hair as he purred at the sweet scent of the stars. Natsu allowed her a bit of room to turn in her arms, pouting deeper to challenge her own, snickering as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Lucy can't leave without me," He whined as he hid his head against her tummy, tickling her with his hair as her nightgown rode up. "I can't live without you, Luce!"

"Y-You're so weird, Natsu!" She laughed, kicking lightly at him to push him away, both of them tussling and flopping back onto the bed when they got tired of wrestling. Natsu huffed as Lucy pulled the blanket back over them, nestling closer to the star as she yawned.

"I want to give you a dragon kiss, but Igneel said I can't," His frown deepened as he rubbed his nose against her wrist joint, purrs vibrating in his throat at the rich smell of her blood. Lucy giggled and scratched the soft spot at the base of his skull, Natsu's scales crawling onto his skin like goosebumps. His tail thumped, and his small horns peaked out of his pink locks, canines peeking shortly from his upper lip.

"Natsu's kisses are sweet!" Lucy beamed, her peachy pink complexion filling her cheeks as she stole a quick kiss from him, shaking her head at the weird vibrating sensation that moved through his lips. Natsu smirked as he pounced forward a bit, their noses bumping together uncomfortably, his sharp tooth piercing her bottom lip and spilling her blood between them. She yelped, and the young dragon panicked as her blood dripped down her chin, finding the only solution he could and began to lap it up. She laughed tiredly as he fell asleep sucking on her lip, although ultimately failing as it continued to dip as they slept. Layla came in the next morning and abruptly woke the rest of the mansion with her screams as she saw the blood that had spilled between Natsu and Lucy, some still on Natsu's lips and pooled in his drool. Igneel rushed in, extremely disheveled with Wendy stuck to his chest, wrapped in his scarf that acted like a baby bjorn. An eery black crept up the older star as she hurriedly turned over her daughter and pressed her ear to her chest, sighing in relief at the sound of her steady heartbeat. Natsu groaned as his father did the same, young Wendy slapping his cheeks with unbridled baby strength, shocking the fledgling out of his sleep with a loud snort.

"…that hurt..." He grumbled and opened his eyes to meet Igneel's worried ones, the older dragon examining the dried blood that stuck to his mouth and fell down his chin. The two sleepily cleared up the misunderstanding as their parents inquired where the blood could have come from, Natsu's dragon tooth the culprit of Layla's misunderstanding. The two were cleaned up and dressed for the day, Lucy taking Natsu down the hall while Layla and Igneel returned to their rooms to get themselves ready. Gray and Juvia emerged from their bedroom, the sprite yawning and his mermaid companion clung to his side like always, glaring at the female sprite that left her bedroom with her brother and his other sister. Ultear stuck her tongue at the possessive girl, both of them huffing and turning away to continue down the hall. Ezra, Levy, and Gajeel walked out of the last one, the valkyrie always finding it best to sleep with the pixie when they were away from home. The Heartfilia's massive beds were definitely large enough to fit the three of them, and Gajeel didn't find Erza to be a threat when it came to the shrimp. (Not that he really knew what that meant. It was a weird voice in his head that usually told him such confusing things.)

The group mumbled tiredly and demanded to know where Lucy was leading them, curious as the wide double doors they approached were pulled open by the servants on the other side. A long and wide table stood high before them, the Aguria sisters and the Eucliffe-Cheney brothers already taken their seats.

"Late for breakfast! That means we're better dragons than you!" Sting cackled as he stood in his chair, pointing and mocking Natsu and Gajeel who had begun growling in protest. Grandine was quick to walk in behind them and smack her son and nephew on the head before helping the kids into their chairs. They drooled over the large meal that had been prepared for them, not bothering to wait for the rest of their parents while the steam rolled from the plates.

The morning passed quickly, and the adults were happy to let their kids rein free amongst their garden, Sting quick to circle Yukino and keep the others away from her.

"Dummy, Sting! Let me play with Yuki!" Lucy demanded and kicked at the white dragon to make him stop.

"No way! I'm in charge of protecting her!" He hissed, Rouge nodding as he stood next to Angel, his shadow ready to strike if anyone tried to touch the indifferent star.

"You just want to snack on her light!" She stuck her tongue at him, watching his cheeks redden as he shook his head to deny her claim.

"Eh? Is that what you eat?" Natsu snickered. "Eating fire is way cooler!"

"But Yukino tastes sweet! Lucy too when she's not a dummy," Sting grumbled and butt heads with the now red star who was ready to summon star dress to pummel him into the ground.

"Eh?! You've eaten Luce?!" He fumed, knocking Lucy out of the way to tackle the blonde quick to avoid his advances. Natsu roared and stood on hands and feet, ready to fight Sting as his dragon form emerged.

"Natsu! I was going to fight him!" Lucy cried as she ran after the two, calling Plue to help catch Sting. She summoned his star dress, now clad in a white bodysuit, a sharp orange horn decorating her forehead.

"Luce is my best friend! I'll eat her before you can!" The fire dragon growled as he turned around and narrowed his eyes onto Lucy. His pounce was halted for a moment when he saw her weird outfit, cackling as he chased after her. Lucy wailed and ran with her small puppy, her speed improved by the properties of the strange dog suit.

"Oi, don't ignore me!" Sting shouted as he turned back to chase after Natsu.

Gajeel watched as Natsu began to chase Sting, Rouge flashing him eager eyes to fight as his brother did. Levy was busy staring at the flowers with Erza and Juvia, the valkyrie pinning a rose in her hair. The pixie grinned widely and turned to show him, his cheeks flushed and pride strengthening as he accepted Rouge's challenge. Ultear pulled Gray along with her to a small patch of dandelions, sitting down with him to make a flower crown. Gray scoffed as she tied the flowers together, putting his hands together to make one out of ice. Juvia seethed angrily at the sight of them getting along, her energy alarming Meredy and her magic binding Erza to the water girl. Jellal sweatdropped as he tried to get his sister to undo her work, the valkyrie seething and already dipping her hands into her pocket of space to pull out her collection of swords.

Amidst a game of hide and seek, Gray found himself donned the title of 'It' and had to look around the endless garden for his friends. They were smart enough to eliminate the option for those with wings to use theirs since it would be an unfair advantage, but he knew where he could at least find one hidden person without a doubt. He took his time approaching the small koi pond that settled under the vast stretch of a willow tree, hearing the light giggles that emitted from its surface. He dared to poke at it, watching the unnatural ripples and sudden twist up of his mermaid friend.

"Gray-onii-sama found Juvia!" She cheered happily as she reformed out of the water, crisscrossing her legs to sit on the pond. He frowned a bit, turning away from her bright smile and grinning eyes as she laughed happily and got up to dance on the water's surface. "Juvia knew Gray-onii-sama would come for her!"

"Oi…" He started but shied away as his blush became painfully obvious.

"What is it, Gray-onii-sama?" She hummed as she skipped up to him, tilting her head curiously as she waited for his reply.

"...Juvia," She perked up as her name rolled from his lips, squealing and nodding for him to continue. "Don't call me -onii anymore,"

"Eh? But Gray-onii-sama is Juvia's family now… isn't she…?" Her pout was deep, and her tears begged to fall from the corners of her eyes, as well as accumulating clouds in the sky.

"I-I'm not your big brother!" He emphasized, groaning as her lip quivered anxiously and the rain threatened to fall.

"A-And if Juvia is family, only by being my wife!" The sprite confessed quickly, sure that his usual pale skin was as bright as the hair of his valkyrie friend. The mermaid was quiet for a moment as she processed his words, quick to run off the water and give him a death abiding hug.

"Oh, Gray-sama!" Her eyes were filled with beating hearts as she stared at the still overly embarrassed winter lad. It was always uncomfortable for him to be so hot and red-faced.

"D-Don't tell I said that!" Gray insisted and tried to push her rubbing cheeks away as she held him.

"Does Gray-sama really want to marry Juvia?" She asked with deep eyes, squealing as he gave her a stiff nod. She pulled away for a moment, handing her hand for him to don a supposed ring to go along with his sudden proposal. He moved slowly as he raised a random finger, marking it with a subtle peck of his lips. Pleased with his actions, he nodded and said he would move on to finish the game, shouting as Juvia began to melt into the grass, her water pooling under his shoes as she fell back in shock while clutching her hand.

Jellal sat in a nearby bush with Meredy nestled in his arms, her burbling silenced by her pacifier. Erza clung to him as the Daemon unintentionally connected her with the overemotional mermaid, his cheeks red as she grinned widely and refused to let him go.

"Jellal, sama…" She mumbled quietly into his arm as she cuddled greedily with the fallen spirit.

The sprite was flushed throughout dinner, Juvia squealing every now and then and shouting 'Gray-sama' while clutching her cheeks as if she ate something extremely sweet. Mika tried to calm the overheating girl as she neared a fainting episode by overexciting herself with thoughts of her beloved. The rest of the table as confused by Juvia's excessive behavior, unable to get a proper word out of either of the two, so decidedly letting it go.

Lucy waved to her mother as she closed her bedroom door after tucking in her and Natsu for their last night before returning to Magnolia. Happy was curled up at the end of their bed, purring and already fast asleep and enjoying the plush softness of her high-quality duvet. The young dragon was quick to wrap her in his arms, his nose comfortable against the nape of her neck as he fell asleep with the aid of her scent.

"Don't fall asleep, Natsu!" She whispered harshly, shaking him of his tiredness to pull him towards her balcony.

"But, Luce~" He whined as she jumped to grab the glass door's handle, pulling it to let them out on the lightly bricked surface.

"Let's go!" She whispered excitedly, climbing onto the balcony's edge and waving for him to follow.

"Eh?! Lucy, get down!" He gasped as she giggled and fell backward, his wings flapping open instantly to fly down and catch her. Natsu was startled to see Lucy floating in the air beside him, the light around her sparkling more than usual.

"I didn't know you could fly!"

"Only at home! Mama says our energy is strongest at night here." She grinned, grabbing his hand to pull him along with her. They settled onto the ground and took off running, Natsu laughing as he followed her, excited for them to play around in the dark. They ran through the garden, speeding past the giant hedge maze, the rows, and rows of flowers Layla and other Heartfilia generations had planted over the years. Lucy led him towards an open end of the landscape, where a large cherry blossom tree stood and seemed to sparkle under the light of the stars. The constellations were visible and sparkling above them, Leo uncomfortably watching as he sat in full view of the tree. He leaned over his screen in the sky, Virgo and Aries coming up behind him to watch as Natsu blushed furiously and Lucy jumped up while holding his hands. She calmed for a moment and raised her head with puckered lips in wait for the dragon to reciprocate and kiss her. The three snickered as Lucy continued to demand more kisses from him until insisting that they go back to her room before Happy notices they left. Natsu drags her back and grumbles, saying how he would have been able to kiss her in her room if that was all she wanted.

"I think the young miss is going to be embarrassed about this when she grows up." Virgo hummed as she skipped happily with the fledgling.

"I'd bet money on that." Loke laughed as she begged Natsu for one more before lifting them back onto her balcony.

* * *

 **I received a guest review asking about their ages and since Juvia's birthday passed they're 6, just about to start 1st grade! I've been trying to write them cutesy and fluffy and clearly not too serious or adult with their kisses lmao I don't think it's come off that way but let me know if it could be more innocent? I mean obviously, they are super innocent lmao but I have no idea how it comes off to you guys if you don't tell me it needs to be tweaked a bit**

 **Don't freak over their speech either lol they're kids so I'm trying to make them sound less than mature lmao**

 **I like the idea of Rouge looking up to Sting since he has the more outgoing attitude, I feel like that's a common trope between them**

 **It's all Sting and Yukino and I have yet to decide if I'm going to give Rouge away**

 **Tho I labeled them brothers so Skiadrum or Weisslogia gonna be a chick oops lmao I ain't mad tho**

 **Or**

 **Can male dragons have babies when they have a male mate? Idk how does that sit with you lmao I couldn't care either way.**

 **I need to make a list of the colors I've used for Lucy's emotions lmao before I start to forget any, or need to clarify for ya'll**

 **Or**

 **You could make one and send it to me so I don't have to thaaaaaks**

 **And I have more ideas for one-shots and a couple short stories eek**

 **UMM IMPORTANT IMPORTANT: I was about to send them off to school and then the reel of growing up would proceed but tell me if there are any cute childhood things you want to see or else imma just go ahead with ma ideas**

 **I'd totally love for them to stay kids for a couple more chapters**

 **And I have a really cute story idea about Natsu being a baker and falling in love with Lucy, I'm making it like a 3 or 4 shot ehehehehehehe**


	17. Not so Much of a Mate

**Just wrote this lmao but it's NOT canon! A little request lol since Natsu, unfortunately, won't be marking Lucy as a child :(**

* * *

Natsu sat on the other side of the playground with his arms crossed and eyebrows knit together, his bottom lip jutted out in annoyance. His eyes were trained on his starlit best friend as she ran around with one of the random kids who had been playing there that day and took an immediate liking to her shivering white puppy. Grandine had pulled him aside when he sneakily tried to set the boy on fire, now grumbling beside her in timeout. Wendy was tumbling around on the blanket in front of him, snacking on the air and laughing at her newfound ability to eat it. His solace was only found when the boy's mother called him away, but Natsu fumed at the sight of him sneaking a kiss onto her cheek before he ran off.

"Oh, would you look at that, Lucy-chan!" Grandine giggled as the blushing star approached the blanket. "Wasn't he sweet?"

"He said I was really pretty," She flushed, shyly kicking the grass below her feet. Before Natsu could blow up and whine about Lucy getting along with someone else, Igneel called in the distance for them to come home for lunch.

The young dragon stewed over their meal, ignoring his sister as she slapped applesauce across her high chair plate, drawing in it haphazardly with her fingers before licking it from her palm. Lucy hummed and ate her sandwich, her eyes trained on the blue kitten that stuck his head deep in a bowl of cream, laughing as he ate in such an awkward way.

He continued to stay quiet as they were laid down for a nap, Lucy frowning when he didn't cuddle up to her like he usually did.

"What's wrong, Natsu? You have angry eyebrows." She hummed, pointing to the wrinkle between his furrowed brows.

"Lucy's my best friend, so I don't like you givin' your cheeks away." He pouted.

"Eh? You're such a weirdo," She laughed as he huffed out a breath of smoke.

"But only Lucy gives me kisses! No one else can give you kisses!" He insisted as he kicked his legs under the blanket. Her peachy pink complexion replaced her usual golden sparkle at his clumsy confession. She leaned closer to the pink haired ball of fire, kissing him lightly to calm the red color that built up in his cheeks.

"Okay…" She mumbled and ducked her chest against his chest, wrapping her arms around him to fall asleep in a comfortable hold.

In the midst of their nap, the fledgling stirred from his sleep, blinking his eyes open slowly to see that the curtains in his room were still drawn and heard his parents quietly talking downstairs. He pulled away from Lucy for a moment to wipe away the drool that had rivered down his chin and pooled into Lucy's hair.

Her light was dim as she slept and his eyelids grew heavy again as he found comfort in her scent. His lip twitched, and he snorted, eyes wide as an idea quickly rushed through his mind. A sneaky grin made its way across his mouth as he wiggled one of her hands-free from their hold on him. His teeth sunk into her wrist, surprised at the softness that mimicked the feeling of eating a slice of fluffy cake. Her blood collected and dribbled down the corners of his mouth, quickly lapping it up as he let her go. He liked the thick flavor that reminded him of rich syrup, not as bitter as he would have assumed she was. The wound disappeared in a wisp of fire and Natsu ooed, wishing Lucy were awake to see how cool that was.

His chest bubbled lightly as he cozied up to her side, the fire in his belly thrumming with excitement as it radiates around him and his newfound mate.

* * *

 **Again**

 **not canon with the story**

 **their real dragon kiss is gonna be way more dramatic lmao**

 **I'm working on lowkey one shots atm lolol the next chapter for this story I haven't gotten my big idea for yet**


	18. Water Park

**Hi, hello, it's been way too long, I've been doing a lot of random shit**

 **Lowkey was just enjoying my break and doing whatever I wanted lmao though I wanted to update my continuing stories at least once I've had the worst writer's block concerning them**

 **I have the next chapters for Hikari and Hot Meal done but they're not edited yet and lowkey suck atm**

 **UMMMMMM and I went back and did a little editing**

 **I was looking for a bit because I forgot if I was describing Lucy's eyes properly ( not brown they're like green/purple/blue/silver kind of always stirring little universes )**

 **But yeah it was fucking weird going back to see Juvia and Gray, even with air quotes, have brother be the term I referenced him as**

 **I went through chapters to take out any mention of _brothers_ and _sisters_ between them cuz EWW and it was never my intention to give that image? It was a lot weirder than I had perceived when I was writing them**

 **I bet I lost a few of you with that one lmaooo BUT THEY ENGAGED SOOOOOO**

* * *

Lucy was quick to jump out of bed, struggled to hop up and grab her doorknob and immediately ran towards her mother's bedroom to shout excitedly as she got free. The older star groaned and rolled over, smiling weakly as her daughter jumped and insisted that she wake up to help her get ready. Layla nodded and sat up, oofing as Lucy yanked her arm to pull her out of bed, her right leg falling from under her blanket and onto the floor. The little star was successful in dragging her to the bathroom for them both wash up before hurriedly rushing to her bedroom to get dressed.

"Goodness, who gave you energy this early in the morning?" Layla sighed as she picked out the multiple outfits Lucy would need for her trip to the water park that day. Though her mother was still tired and definitely didn't need to get Lucy ready for at least three more hours, her heart was full, and her smile was bright as the girl excitedly called Plue to dance with her and tell him about all the fun she would have with her friends later in the day.

"Loke said he would wake me up! He spoke from his gate in my head!" She grinned as she twirled with the shaky white puppy, her glare turned to the heavens as she mentally strangled her connection with the lion spirit. She could hear a string of apologies as he dropped to his knees, attention torn away from the stars as she was pulled into the dancing circle with her daughter and puppy.

Layla helped her into her favorite star patterned bathing suit, zipping her in a cover-up dress and packing a bag with clothes for her to change into after their day at the park was done. Lucy was eager to wear the backpack as she followed her mother downstairs, going to sit on the couch and watch T.V while breakfast was being made. A morning princess anime was enough to get the star to calm down, too busy swooning over how sweet the prince was to his princess. She squealed and whispered to the snowman-like spirit in his non-existent ears that the boy in the show kissed his princess under the moonlight just as she and Natsu had a couple weeks ago.

Her mother insisted while they ate that Lucy try to finish her food since she was so hyper, her stomach unable to hold down much with all the excitement thrumming through her chest. The best way to get her to finish was casually mentioning how Natsu was probably eating his breakfast right up so he would have enough energy to stay at the park all day long. She encouraged Plue to eat fruit with her, though the white dog much preferred sucking on his swirled lollipop. The young star was unable to sit still even after breakfast, so the two sent Plue off before heading out to Natsu's house an hour or so early.

"Lushii!" Happy cheered, perched on Igneel's shoulder as he opened the door, gliding down to jump in her open arms.

"Everyone else came over early as well," The Dragneel father chuckled as he stepped aside to let the two in, leading Layla into their larger dining room to sit with the other adults while Lucy quickly joined the kids in the yard.

"Luce! Lucy is here!" Natsu grinned wildly as he tackled his best friend in a rushed hug, cackling as she squealed, both of them rolling around in the grass.

"Gray-sama should hug Juvia too," Juvia pouted, tugging on the sprite's arm as he tried to discard his t-shirt, flushing as he pulled it back down to push away her advances.

"I see you every day," He grumbled as the lovey-dovey girl clung to the arm keeping her at a distance.

Gajeel sat in the corner with Levy in his lap as she read, his arms wrapped securely around her as Wendy stared them down from her bouncy chair, the metal slayer glaring at his cousin. She laughed and threw blocks at him before turning her attention to Jellal who gladly began to entertain the baby with a game of peek-a-boo. Ultear and Meredy stayed home with their mother that day to take care of the shop, afraid the Daemon would cause unnecessary trouble during their outing. Erza nervously tried to ignore the fallen celestial spirit as she pulled Lucy away from Natsu to give her a greeting of her own.

"Juvia gets to show her tail to everyone today! Juvia is so excited!" She bragged to Lucy as she went on to tell her how much she liked to swim. "But Juvia can't breathe it like sea water, Papa-sama says there are too many chemicals."

"I want to invite Aquarius, but mama told me not to call her unless it's important," Lucy pouted as she told the others about her own mermaid friend, Juvia's eyes full and hopeful to meet the water spirit some day. Erza boasted as well, pulling a sword crafted of living waves extending from their hilt out of her pocket of space. Gray and Natsu butt heads about either being able to freeze or evaporate the water, Erza glaring fiercely and scolding them to behave while they went swimming. Jellal would be helping out as the designated older kid in the water, showing those who had a hard time swimming in deeper waters what to do and helping out the adults if anyone were to foolishly drown. Lucy already had a stern talking to from her mermaid guardian, warning that she would be on a date and would scold the little star if she were to interrupt it with a water-related accident. The blonde could easily conjure her star dress if need be, only for a short while of course but it would help none the less. Lucy and Juvia stole Levy away and stuck their tongues at Gajeel for being so greedy, whisking her off to play with Erza and whisper excitedly about the Love-Love slide Juvia heard the Fullbuster parents talking about.

"Alright, time to go!" Igneel called as he ushered the kids out to the front yard, Lucy looking around curiously as the older dragon walked into the middle of the peaceful street. Irene insisted on taking as many pictures of Erza in her wide-brimmed sun hat and golden swimsuit, praising her daughter into embarrassment.

"What's he doing?" She asked Natsu, the fledgling excited with flushed cheeks as he anticipated his father's transformation. Grandine held them back as Igneel rolled his shoulders, fire engulfing his form as he let thick and loud laughter erupt from his vocal cords. Metalicana rolled his eyes, yelling at his brother for being so dramatic, Gajeel following suit and shouting along with his father. Lucy and Jellal both watched with wide eyes as they saw a dragon transform for the first time, Igneel's already gigantic form doubling and tripling in size as he entered his more natural appearance. Natsu ran towards him as soon as his flames faded, finding his reptilian eye to jump and praise how cool his dad was. Grandine willed a bit of wind to help the children up and onto his back, Lucy quick to grab onto Natsu, afraid of just how high in the air they were about to be. Her stomach turned, and she weakly waved to her mother; Silver and Metalicana tagging along to watch the kids while the moms aside from Grandine stayed behind to get some much-needed shopping done.

"Don't worry, Luce! The sky is really cool!" Natsu ensured her as Igneel lifted his wings and took off into the air, the other kids already having taken a ride on the dragon's back multiple times. Jellal was also justifiably scared, but the feeling of excitement and adrenaline soon filled his system as he reached out and tried to grab at one of the many clouds. Grandine adjusted the air around them to keep the wind out of their eyes and adapted them to the new altitude, Lucy opening her eyes carefully as the whipping wind calmed. She gasped as she saw how high in the air they were, definitely different from what she experimented with floating around while home at the Heartfilia estate. Being so much closer to the sun willed her to call a greeting to Flare, waving and hoping her friend would be able to hear her.

"Can you turn into a dragon too, Natsu?" Lucy asked as she felt Igneel's surprisingly soft scales, the younger Dragneel shaking his head.

"Only halfway, you have to be older to turn big like Igneel," He stretched his hand above him to show her just how much taller he'd have to be before the ability could come to him.

Igneel idled above the water park's parking lot, Grandine standing up on his back as she and Metalicana took hold of a couple kids each, flying them down to the sidewalk, Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu taking it upon themselves to do the same; Happy excited to glide down as well. Silver, thankful his wife wasn't around to stop him, took a dive off of the dragon's back, howling excitedly as he let a fountain of ice cushion his fall, Gray grinning ear to ear at his father's feat. Grandine scolded him and made sure the kids understood how dangerously he acted, the giant dragon in the sky flashing into his former human self, gliding down with wings in his half form, following the group as they were ushered indoors.

"Gray, what's your dad? Is he a sprite too? Lucy asked curiously, wondering why the older Fullbuster hadn't used his wings if her were.

"Papa is a winter wolf." She ooed, wondering if they would ever see him transform, her heart leaping at the image of a giant puppy to cozy into his fur. Ryuzetsu Land was surprisingly not as packed as they expected it to be, the parents leading the group through the aquarium before finding a spot to set their things down. Natsu laughed as Happy drooled, pressing his paws up against the glass and hoping he could get them on such tasty looking fish. Juvia whined a bit as they took their time looking at everything, beyond itching to get her feet in the water to let her tail free. The group groaned as they were told to eat lunch first after such a long flight, the three-hour-long trip to the capital thankfully cut in half with the dragon's ability, but lunchtime had been well bitten into. The kids ate quickly and waited a proper amount of time while their stomachs settled before standing on the edge of a shallow pool, all ready to cannonball in.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed! I was gonna make this longer and include random drama but I didn't want to do that so enjoy this cute and short piece**

 **And please read the top for some info on the story! A reminder that this is a one-shot series so sometimes its just gonna be whatever until I grow them uo then we gonna have some drama cx**

 **I want them to go on another trip, maybe an onsen? Cute babies at an onsen make me wanna cry**

 **BUT YEAH READ THE TOP CUZ I WAS LIKE EWW AND REMOVED ANY BROTHER SISTER TERMS**

 **School's gonna get way busier next semester, I think I might take an official hiatus after my winter break until the summer since I'll b taking 6 or 7 classes, tho I'm sure I'll still be active on tumblr just to write drabbles for fun n whatnot**

 **fr if you're looking for me I'm always on my tumblr writing random things when I'm bored so hmu if you want me to toy with a headcanon for you**

 **I have a major headache rn tho so catch me playing Far Cry 5 till late**


	19. Today

**School starts in two days boo, but**

 **i had a little inspo for this next chap**

* * *

"Now, you can't move till I come back, okay Luce?" Natsu pouted as he stared down his blonde best friends who didn't want to follow his exact instructions.

"But why can't I go with you? It's boring just sitting here," She humped, crossing her arms as they sat in their makeshift hideout.

"You're part of my hoard, so you gotta stay while I get the rest! Happy's here to keep ya company, but you can't move!" He stood up, hands on his hips as he waited for her to comply.

"You always wanna play hoard! You get to have adventures collecting without me!" She argued as he pursed his lips, turning to ignore her as frustration turned her skin purple.

"I promise I won't take long! You gotta stay safe, I can't let anyone get ya, Luce! What if some other lame dragon sees you and wants you in his hoard? That just ain't right," He grumbled, whining in his throat as she stood to challenge him. "I—I'll give ya one of those kisses you like so much! And I'll find ya somethin' pretty...for your hair!"

"Really?!" She squealed, Natsu smirking to himself, happy he won to play his game. Lucy always wanted him to give her kisses, it was easy enough to bribe her with one.

"Really really!" He grinned, leaning in with softly scrunched lips to give her a quick peck on the cheek before he ran off, his laugh in the wind. "Don't move!"

"W—Wha… that wasn't…! Happy! He didn't do it right at all," She frowned and plopped to the floor, the blue kitten crawling his way into her lap.

"Nachu is a dummy!" He chirped, Lucy agreeing as she pulled the blue bag on her side in front of them.

"Snacks!" She summoned, reaching in to find the star and fish-shaped cookies Virgo secretly made for the girl.

"Don't tell Natsu, he doesn't get snacks!" Lucy angrily said as she chomped on the baked good, Happy saluting as he gave in to eat his.

Now maybe Natsu only wanted to 'play' hoard when he saw other kids running to the playground they had once occupied; he knew Lucy would get distracted if she had a chance to play with someone knew. It wasn't a game to him, of course, she would always be recognized as a part of his hoard. Lucy would be sitting atop a pile of gold deep in the Magnolia mountains if his father were smart enough to agree with Natsu's obviously right deduction. He kept her hidden and safe inside the flu de troll as he embarked on a path toward the river, searching for the shiniest stones he could find.

Around this same time, Juvia and Gray were with Ur, Jellal having taken Meredy and his cousins away to the Scarlet family dojo for the day. The pink haired baby was too much of a hazard to have near when Juvia was around, the family rightfully concluded.

The mermaid watched and silently cheered for Gray as he sparred with Lyon, the other sprite trying his best to get Juvia to look his way. Ur and Ultear shouted for them to correct their form, watching to make sure they knew the proper technique could only be accomplished if they held both hands together while summoning their magic.

"Again!" Ur called out as Lyon failed to create solid birds with his one hand attack.

"Gray-sama is so cool!" Juvia squealed as he knocked Lyon onto his back, hiding the color of his cheeks as he turned to give their teacher a bow.

"Good job, Gray! Soon it'll be time to take you all to start sparring in the cold," Ur grinned, sending Ultear into the arena to drag out the faltering sprite.

He threw the mermaid a small smile, regretting it instantly as she began to gush even louder, rolling on the ground and yelling into her palms about his overflowing coolness.

Gajeel was particularly upset as Wendy was left in his father's care for the day and Levy too sick to play with him. Metalicana gulped as soon as he had received the call from Levy's mother, immediately calling his brother for advice. He was relieved to see the Dragneel pair show up, only to leave Wendy with him as they returned to their home for some well deserved quiet time.

"'Course they wouldn't help me," He grumbled to the blue-haired baby as she jumped in her high chair, smacking the applesauce she was served with a loud laugh. "I might have to count on your wind if you're up for it, Wendy."

He flinched as his son hobbled into the room, blanket wrapped around and over his head as he trudged toward the kitchen for a snack.

"Y-You want some metal, Gajeel? I gotta whole pile of scraps in my studio if you want…?" He sweatdropped as the boy approached him with a nod, features hidden in the shadow of his formed hood as he waited for his father to return. The older metal dragon reentered the living room, kneeling to meet the eyes of his son, the chill running down his spine disappearing as he saw him near tears.

"Hey…I know you miss her, but it won't do any good if you both get sick, she'll be better before you know it." He whispered to the fledgling who sharply nodded, heart whining for the book obsessed pixie.

Simon grinned eagerly as his sword came down upon the valkyrie's, Ezra's strong stance refusing to break as she gripped her handle to push him back. He grunted as she swiped at his feet, the descendant falling to his behind, another match successfully won by the red-haired girl. She blushed as Jellal clapped for her victory, Simon's going unnoticed as he slid with her weapon pinning him down.

"My turn! Brother loses too fast when it comes to Erza-onee-chan!" Kagura smirked as she pulled her wooden sword out, ready to challenge the valkyrie.

"You should learn to fight with a sword too, Jellal." Simon huffed as he approached his cousin, ruffling the short hair upon Meredy's head. "It's real fun,"

"I wonder if my magic is suited for something like that,"

* * *

 **kinda all over the place at the moment, Ive been trying to finish some one-shots I got in the works but it's a lil hard ;-;**


	20. Blueberry Tea

**Hello! I should be working on a speech I have to give in 3 days but I am not :)**

 **It's on the 11th and Map of the Soul: Persona comes out the day after so I have a nice reward to look forward to!**

 **And then I don't have much to worry about aside from trying to raise my grades!**

* * *

"Lucy! Up here!" Natsu called as he stood at the top of his stairs, waving his arms wildly as he beckoned for her to follow him to his room. She rushed up the stairs after him with a wide grin, the dragon exciting her with a great secret hidden in his room. Happy stood in front of the closed door with a blindfold to tie around her eyes, Lucy eagerly pursing her lips as the dragon led her into his bedroom.

"What is it, Natsu?" Lucy squeaked as she felt to see if there was anything in front of her before he dramatically ripped the blindfold from her face. She gasped as she saw a blanket pinned up, surely by his father. Otherwise, it would have come down in an instant. The main setup was on his bed, sheets forming a ceiling, held up with pillow walls, another blanket layered on top to act as a doorway they could sweep aside and hid whatever else they had inside.

"It's our castle!" He said as he pulled her in, Happy fluttering in behind the two. It would have been relatively dark in the castle if not for the light of Lucy herself, glittered skin bouncing off the faux walls.

"What do we play now?" Lucy asked, stretching her legs out as she took a seat on one of the pillows placed for them to sit on.

"You stay in here while me 'n Happy guard you," Natsu grinned as he left with the blue kitten just as quickly as they had entered, Lucy gaping at the curtain as it closed behind them.

"Eh? That's not a game, dummy!" Lucy whined as she peaked out of the makeshift doorway and stared dumbfoundedly at the two already turned away and standing straight as if they were on guard.

"Yes, it is! We gotta keep you safe! Now get back inside!" Lucy yelped as Natsu's hand collided with her face and pushed her back into the hideout. She furled and burned a bright purple, frustrated at his insistence to keep her hidden.

"You're not pretending I'm the hoard again, are you?" She grumbled, crossing her arms as silence met her question, knowing Natsu was sweating to avoid answering her. The star kicked her legs and shoved her hand deep into her small bag again, pulling out another bevy of cookies to enjoy by herself.

"The enemy!" Happy gasped as the door to their bedroom creaked open, a tiny hand slapping down onto the hardwood floor as their first move.

"Get back you demon! You're not coming anywhere near Lucy!" Natsu shouted as the slaps sounded further of whoever had entered the room. Lucy gulped and wiped the crumbs from her lips, her fingertips dyeing a faint blue as she peeked out from behind the drawn sheets to see who had entered the room.

Wendy sat in the middle of the floor as Natsu and Happy circled her with apprehensive faces, their fists raised as they waited for her to make her first move. She had on a pair of fake horns, a headband pushing back her tuffs of blue hair. Lucy squeaked in both excitement and fear as she ducked back into the castle, holding her hands together as she grinned.

"Kyaaa! Save me, Natsu! Happy!" Natsu smirked as Lucy began to play along with the game he had crafted.

"Oi, Wendy," The fledgling whispered to his little sister that chewed on her balled-up fist as he and Happy continued to walk around her. "You're supposed to attack us! Remember what we practiced!"

The baby only burled with a laugh as they continued to weakly raise their fists against her, becoming distracted by Happy's tail as it swept against the floor.

"The demon is making its first move!" Natsu gasped as Wendy began to cawl after the tail, squeaking and squealing as she chased the blue kitten around the room. She hiccuped with a mini dragon's roar, tossing the exceed onto his back with an oomph.

"N-Nachu! The d...demon...she...got me…" The fire dragon fell to his knees as he watched his partner fall prey to their enemy, cringing as her dribbling mouth chewed on his furry tail, hands slapping harshly on his back and laughing as he garbled with every hit she landed on him.

"Take this, for hurting Happy, you demon!" Natsu roared as his wings unfurled from his back. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" The 'demon' squealed as she was tossed up into the air, his wing edged under her and flipping her into the air with its slight force.

He caught the baby who only continued to laugh as her big brother twirled her around and gnashed his teeth as an attempt to intimidate her. As Natsu spun around, his grip on her chubby wrists loosened until she was out of his hands and flying into a pile of pillows. The fledgling grinned as she struggled to gain any sort of footing and her little face planted into the fluff at every attempt.

His snickering at her quick defeat struck a chord with the baby slayer who could only let her hands and knees sink into the pillows. She glared at the obstacle, her constant face planting causing a release of some fine feathers. Wendy watched as they fell from the air, one in particular landing on her nose. She noticed the wide eyes of her brother as he reared with a gasp, her nose twitching and tickling as a sneeze blasted through her.

The pillow she was currently on top of whizzed out from underneath her little body, diaper-clad bottom quietly smacking onto the floor as it took off.

Natsu should have seen it coming, a surprise attack, of course! She was a demon, after all, there were no shortages of the tricks she had up her onesie sleeves. The pillow shot straight for him, knocking out his legs and flipping him onto his back. He coughed with the pain of the fall, cringing as he felt the demons soft hand grab his foot.

"I'm sorry, Lucy…I l-love..." Natsu's last words drowned into the silence, the faithful dragon surrendering himself to be eaten by the demon, her gummy maw already laying waste to his corpse.

"Natsu, have you seen We––Natsu! Oh my, what in the world?" Grandine gaped as she walked into Natsu's room, pillows were thrown about, Happy passed out on his side with white foam fizzing from his lips. She saw the shuffling inside the fort Igneel had built, a bit more relaxed knowing that Lucy was hidden from the sight of Wendy chewing on her brother's foot.

"What a cute little monster, was this all your doing?" The mother dragon cooed as Wendy giggled and waved her arms as she begged to be picked up. "Well, let's take you away before you cause any more damage,"

In the backyard next door, Juvia was setting up a tea party with her most favorited dolls, laying out the small plates and cups and placing her desserts at the center of the table.

"Juvia helped Mama-sama make these cookies," She smiled to the dolls as she poured their tea. "Does Gray-sama want one?"

The ice sprite glared at her from his perch under the awing, his hands behind his head as he idly did a set of sit-ups. Every time he came up, he would lock eyes with the dark buttons that mimicked his own, spiky hair pushed down by a bonnet she tied onto its plush head.

"No way, last time I tried to have one of your tea party snacks, you made me wear one of those stupid hats! I'm not playing with those creepy dolls either," Gray grimaced as she drew a long pout, clasping her hands together in an attempt to get him to secede. He stopped his mild exercise before running into the house to avoid her wide-eyed stare.

"Aww, Gray-sama…" Juvia frowned as she sat back down at her little table, slowly sipping her tea as she watched one of the Gray dolls slip out of his seat. "But Juvia made these cookies for Gray-sama too…"

The little mermaid frowned as she slowly munched on the cookie, hoping the sprite would change his mind and play with her. She even made blueberry with Gray's mom, and it was his favorite.

The laugh that floated from the window above her drew her attention, Natsu's bedroom ringing with the light tone that Juvia twisted her lips at. The dragon and the star always had so much fun together, she would rather have a tea party with them than someone who didn't even want to try one of her cookies.

"Natsu-san! Natsu-san!" Juvia called to the open window, waiting for the dragon to take notice of her. It didn't take long for his pink hair to pop up at the edge as he hoisted himself up.

"What's wrong, Juvia? Do you need me to beat up Gray?" He asked, eyes falling to the plate in her hands as she shook her head.

"No, Gray-sama won't play with Juvia, and he doesn't want to eat the cookies she made with Mama-sama, can I play with Natsu-san and Lucy-san instead?"

"Eh?! Cookies?! Sure! Luce keeps eating cookies and won't share any with me," He puffed as he glided into their backyard, his arms falling under her knees and behind her back. She held the plate steady as he flew them into his room, Lucy in the middle of the room as she held Happy in her lap.

"Juvia! Ooo, what a pretty hat!" Lucy fawned at the bonnet she wore. "Let's play dress up together!"

"Natsu-san can wear a bonnet too!" She grinned as Lucy began conjuring an array of poofy dresses and hats for them to try on.

"Oi! Get back in the fort! You're supposed to be letting me guard––Happy! Don't put a hat on too!"

Gray grumbled as he sat in his room, brooding as he felt sorry for running away from Juvia. He had only been kidding and was going to come back and join her even if she did make him wear one of those stupid hats, but he wasn't one to give in right away. He knew she was probably upset and would come in any moment with her cookies and a half-full cup of tea, blubbering eyes, and reddened cheeks as the clouds gathered with her upsetness.

He waited patiently for her to come to him, little snowflakes dancing from his fingertips as he kept himself occupied. As a little pile of snow began to form at his feet, he huffed and pouted his lips.

"What's taking her so long…?" Gray groaned and stood up, lazily making his way downstairs again. His mother stood in the kitchen, preoccupied with the preparation of the slow roast she had in the oven, oblivious to the situation between the sprite and mermaid.

"Alright, I'll play with y–" Gray pretended to sigh as he slid open the patio door, confused as Juvia was nowhere in sight. He ran into the middle of the yard and looked around for her, but it was not as if there was anything in the backyard that she could've hidden behind. One of her dolls was on the floor, and her cookies were gone, but there wasn't an intense presence of conflict that had him immediately worried.

"Where are you hiding, Juvia?" He hummed and walked back into the house, walking back up the stairs and towards her room. He frowned as he saw that she wasn't in there either, moving on to his parent's bedroom, but to no avail, she wasn't hidden there. Panic started to bubble in his throat as he padded into the kitchen, not finding her by the feet of his mother that he assumed as a last resort.

"J-Juvia! C'mon, you're not being funny!" He shouted with short pants, having run back into the yard with sweat spiking his forehead. "Where are you?!"

"Quit screamin', ice princess," Natsu snickered as he sat in his windowsill, dressed in a poofy maroon dress that complimented his red and white ruffled bonnet. "Juvia came to play with me, Luce, and Happy since you're so lame!"

"Eh? Say that again!" Gray grumbled as he sprouted his sheer wings, fluttering to the dragon's window in an attempt to push his way in.

"T-That's right! Juvia wanted to play, and Gray-sama was being mean!" She humphed and crossed her arms as Lucy and Happy did the same, the two shaking their heads as Gray grappled with Natsu's hands.

"I didn't mean it!" The winter sprite yelped as he tumbled into the room and plastered Natsu to the floor. "I was gonna play with you, Juvia...I'm sorry,"

"Juvia will forgive Gray-sama as long as he has one of Juvia's cookies!" She grinned as she picked up the plate from the floor, the raven-haired boy cringing as he saw that Happy's fur had stuck to the leftover snacks.

* * *

 **this is really really cute and idk how I could ever top such a sweet chapter ;-;**

 **I don't know what the next one should be about tho, but a premise that would allow more jerza and gajevy for sure**

 **um but yeah, if you want me to write a certain thing I'll totally take ur ideas, tho I probably just forgot the others I wanted to do before I sent them off to school. that'll be the beginning sequence before I grow them up!**

 **aaaaaaaand I'm selling my old laptop if you're looking for a cheap one that runs Windows 10!**

 **Does anyone draw? I kind of want to develop a webtoon so if there's an artist interested in working with me, hmu!**


	21. Damned Fire Sprite

**Back at it again with the major fucking fluff**

* * *

"Natsu~!" Lucy whined to her pink-haired best friend, kicking her legs and trying to get his attention as he refused to look her way.

"Nachu doesn't want to talk to Lushii." Happy said as he walked around the dragon's crouched form from his previous spot in his lap. "Lushii can tell me what to say to Nachu."

"Eh?! That's too mean…"

To properly understand the problem between these two, it would be best to go back to that morning, when Natsu received some devastating news as he sat at the breakfast table.

"Lucy went somewhere? But we were gonna play ninja's today...she promised..." Natsu frowned as he poked at his surprise treat of waffles made to ease the disclosure of Lucy's whereabouts.

"I know, honey. But Layla said they needed to meet Lucy's father for an important tea," Grandine sighed as she served the brooding fledgling a cup of chili and chocolate milk.

"I'll play ninja with Nachu," Happy smiled and stuffed his filleted fish in between his furry cheeks.

"I know, I just wanted to play with Luce too." He mildly chewed on his food and stared at Wendy as she slapped her syrup between her hands and awed at the stickiness and weird threads it created. He snickered a bit as she squished her palms onto the tray and ignored her food; the handprints she made with the syrup being much more enjoyable.

"Don't worry, she said we could come over for dinner tonight since your plans were interrupted." Natsu perked up at the sound of still being able to see Lucy and more willingly gave into his breakfast. "And, you, little miss. How many times am I going to have to tell you not to play with your food? You'll get this mess in your hair if you don't learn to stop."

On the other hand, Lucy was upset. She finally got Natsu to agree to play another game that wasn't his stupid, selfish face trying to convince her she was gold and her day had to be spent somewhere else. Not that she wasn't happy to be able to see her father, but why did it have to be on such a fun day?! Her mother had pulled her out of bed before the sun had even risen, saying that they had to drive to Acalypha, for tea of all things.

"But don't we have tea at home?" Lucy yawned as her mother buckled her into a car seat before moving to get in the driver's seat.

"Yes, but not that kind of tea," Layla sighed with a light smile as she pulled out onto the road. "We're going to be meeting some of Papa's friends. And you'll have some time to play with a new friend he wants you to meet."

"What if they're not as fun as Natsu?" Lucy pouted with tired eyes and crossed her arms. "Papa's friends are always so boring,"

"All I ask is that you be nice," The older star laughed as her daughter sighed in frustration, the tip of her nose shading its annoyed purple. "We'll come back to have dinner with Natsu tonight,"

"Sounds...yummy…" Lucy yawned again as her head lolled to the side and fell against the padding of her car seat.

"Time to wake up, princess," Loke shook the small star awake, the heiress finding herself waking up in her room at the main Heartfilia home. "Your father's guests are going to be here soon, it's about time for Virgo to get you ready."

"M...kay…" She smacked her lips and stretched her arms up, grasping her hands, signaling that she wanted to be picked up. His ears twitched and he gladly held the small star, heart clenching as she quickly clung to him for warmth. He walked her to the bathroom, Virgo waiting in the tub stacked ten miles high with suds.

"And this is why we let Aquarius bathe her," Loke grumbled and handed off the star child who hung limply in the air as she had fallen asleep again.

"She had a date with Scorpio today, what was I supposed to do?"

"There you are, Lucy!" Jude clapped as she walked in with Loke, holding his hand until he lifted her into her seat at the table. Her hair was in a tight bun and she wore the most stunning blue dress, eyes waking up as soon as they came in contact with the pancakes stacked before her. The lion spirit quickly tied a bib around her neck as to avoid any syrup that might probably spill.

"Good morning, papa," She smiled and said through stuffed cheeks, quickly filling her empty stomach and jumping in her seat as someone poured her a cup of strawberry juice.

"Are you excited to play with your new friend today?" Layla asked, holding back a laugh as their daughter lost her momentary excitement.

"I guess...is he as fun as Natsu? Do you think he'll want to play ninja with me? But I've never played it without Natsu before," She sighed, the head of the household clearing his throat to catch her attention.

"I don't think he's the Ninja-playing kind of boy, his parents are business associates of mine, so I'd really like it if you two could play...less rowdy games," Jude said, trying to avoid Lucy's unpleasant gaze as she annoyingly shoved her fork into her mouth.

"Oh, papa's boring friends again... they're no fun," She glared and picked up her cup with two hands, drinking and leaving a thick mustache with seeds on her upper lip.

"Manners, today, okay? I know it's hard, but I promise you'll get to be back playing with Natsu and the others in no time," Layla giggled and grabbed a napkin to clean her skin turning purple in frustration.

"Yes, mama," She sighed, Jude groaning as he offered up what he knew would keep Lucy in a good mood.

"I promise to get you a new stuffed animal, hmm? I can order one that looks just like Plue," He said, a smile stretching as Lucy's did and her skin turned back to its original golden hue.

"Really?! You're the best, papa!" Lucy squealed, and Layla shook her head, leaning over to whisper to her husband as the little star became occupied with her food again.

"She'll end up spoiled one day because of you, I hope you know,"

"Not if you're here, you'll keep me from going too far,"

"Totomaru, this is Lucy," Loke said as he led the slightly older boy into her playroom, the adults having met together down in the garden.

"Nice to meet you, Toto-kun," Lucy said with a curtsy and sweet smile, Capricorn by her side, his chest puffing with pride at her perfected mannerism.

"Jeez, all that glitter is painful to look at," He grumbled, kicking the stack of blocks she had built into a tower. "You always this shiny?"

"I'm a star...so yes…" Her lips fell to a frown, and she swung slightly in place as he took a seat at the tiny tea table. "What are you, Toto-kun?"

"A fire sprite, wanna watch me burn something?" He snickered and grabbed the doll sitting in a chair beside him, lighting his fist with fire and holding it under her.

"Leave Michelle alone!" Lucy gasped and ran to steal her back, Totomaru surprised as she didn't hesitate to get near his flames.

"Watch it! Do you want to get burned?" His shouting was oddly concerned, the star raising her brow as she turned from him with a pout.

"Those weren't even hot," She humphed and sat on a small couch across the room. "I know a dragon, and his fire is way better."

"As if! No one can use fire better than me! I can even move it with my mind!" The tsundere child quickly tried to prove his strength, spouting what Lucy truly thought was nonsense at his tales of lifting fire from still hot logs that went on longer than she wished. She was _not_ impressed.

"You can play on that side of the room while I play with Michelle," Was all she said, not bothering to try and entertain the guest any longer, he was simply no fun. Capricorn and Loke stood by the door and snickered quietly at the spectacle, their lady indeed had good taste.

"I can even freeze things with my fire! And make a really smelly one, I bet that dragon can't do that! Or make a rainbow fire!" It was a while till he decided to speak again, having sat at the table and angrily sipped the tea served, glaring as the girl spoke quietly to her doll.

"Rainbow…?" What young girl wouldn't be intrigued by the chance to see a rainbow? They were only the prettiest thing in the sky next to the sun and stars, and in the form of fire? Maybe there were some things Natsu couldn't do, but she would never say that out loud.

"Uh huh! But I'm not going to show it to a lame girl like you!" He stuck his tongue out at her and pulled down his lower eyelid to expose the red underside.

"I am not lame!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" The fire sprite cackled as she turned a frustrated shade of deep purple, stalking towards him with clenched fists and clenched teeth.

"N-Now, my lady—!" Capricorn quickly tried to calm the heiress who began to have enough and was ready to explode.

"Am not!" She roared and delivered a solid punch to his stomach, something Loke was now regretting teaching her at such a young age.

"Oh…Mavis…" The two zodiac constellations gulped as the boy subsequently turned as white as a ghost, falling to his knees with his arms wrapped tightly around his midsection.

"No one makes fun of me! Hmph!" Lucy grumbled and stomped towards the door, Loke quickly opening it to let her out. "First I don't get to play with Natsu and now this idiot...Aquarius should just wash him out!"

"Oi, y-you get back here!" Totomaru hissed and groaned as he stood to his feet, swatting away the goat spirit who tried to help him up. "I'll freeze your dang core!"

"Leave me alone!" The small blonde shrieked as she started to run, refusing to be caught by the bloodthirsty boy now hot on her trail.

"Not a chance!" They raced down the hall and turned down another, quick and speedy steps taking them down the stairs and into the main foyer. Maids and butlers shrieked as the tiny two skirted around their feet, elbows knocking into tables that almost tipped over vases. Soon, Lucy ran them out of the house and wished she could jump through the hedges and flower bushes, but had already promised her mother she wouldn't get her dress dirty.

"Oh, here the children come now," Layla said delightfully as the group of four were returning from the gazebo they'd had their tea and meeting under.

"How energetic," Totomaru's father chuckled at the sight of Lucy dodging his son in what he'd mistaken for friendly frolicking. The older star tried not to make her worry apparent as she knew Lucy was running at a wildly fast pace, which resembled the times she tried to avoid Aquarius' wrath.

"Lucy, dear! Please come here!" Jude called out to his daughter, equally unaware that anything had gone wrong between the two. The sound of his voice had the two of them quickly change their attitude and begin to catch their breath at the sight of their parents. The little star made her way over with a light skip, smiling widely as she gave a curtsy to the two fire sprite adults.

"I'm Lucy, it's very nice to meet you,"

"What a darling daughter! It's very nice to meet you as well, dear," Totomaru's mother smiled as well, bending down to pinch her sweet appled cheeks. "You stars are quite the lookers, I just adore your eyes,"

"Have you gotten along with Totomaru?" Layla asked, internally shaking her head as she knew her daughter gave her a fake smile.

"Yup! He was very fun to play with! We had tea with Michelle!" She beamed, Jude nodding gratefully at the day gone seemingly well.

"It's about time for us to leave," The male sprite said, signaling for a butler nearby to get their carriage ready. "What do you say, Totomaru?"

"Thank you for having me as your guest," He said with a shallow bow as his stomach still felt tender, turning his gaze to the star who continued to smile fakely at him. "And thank you for playing with me, Lucy,"

"Oh my!" Totomaru's mother gasped with a delighted clap as her son leaned down to give the star a small peck upon her shocked lips, Lucy inadvertently shading a vibrant peach.

"So how did it really go?" Grandine asked as the two families now sat down to dinner, Natsu excited as he and Happy finally got their time with Lucy that night. But he was a bit worried; even though he finally got to see Lucy, she was being really weird, weirder than usual. She wasn't even as happy as he was when their parents said they would have a sleepover, or even when they said they'd go strawberry picking the next day, and she loved strawberries!

"Hopefully without any noticeable bruises, little Lucy over here gut-punched their son," The Heartfilia mother sighed with a shake of her head.

"That's my girl! I'm sure he deserved it!" Igneel cackled and coughed as his wife smacked him on the chest.

"I'm not sure, Totomaru even kissed Lucy before they left! It was quite adorable, she turned the cutest shade of peach, I wish I had taken a picture!" Layla squealed, the three fawning over the cute tale in their own bubble, failing to notice the drama unfolding between the younger two.

"What…?" Natsu asked as he looked sharply at Lucy, who grimaced with a queasy frown. "You kissed him?"

"He kissed me! I didn't want to kiss him…" She said quickly, quite near turning a mix of cornflower blue and citrus green.

"But you changed colors, that only happens when you like it!" He scowled and turned back to his pasta, upsettingly slurping and splattering sauce around his lips and onto his cheeks as the noodles flew wildly into his mouth.

"Oh, and Totomaru uses fire as well, a fire sprite, have you ever met one before?" That stung Natsu hard...Lucy liked someone else who used fire, how could she?! Were they best friends now?! She even hit him! He and Lucy got in fights all the time! Sparred together all the time! He was proud of the bruises she left on him, what was next? Was he going to give her a super special mark of friendship before him too?!

"Natsu…" Lucy was now pulling on his pajama shirt as she tried to steal his attention away from the wall and back to her. The blue exceed kitten had already given up on trying to mediate the situation, now putting his effort towards getting a good night's sleep in the heap of Lucy's stuffed animals resting in the corner of the room.

"I don't wanna talk to you, Luce," Natsu huffed as he crossed his arms. "I was waiting to play with you all day! And you played with someone else who uses fire...and you kissed him! You said you'd only kiss me! I'm your best friend, you're supposed to kiss me!"

"I-I...I know…" Lucy's bottom lip quivered as her sadness finally overcame her, body enveloped by the melancholy blue, tiny fists rubbing at her eyes and body racking with cries. "I wanted to play ninjas with you too! And...And I hate Toto-kun! He's a meanie... who's not even as cool as you…! I didn't want him to kiss me, I mean it!"

The fledgling felt his stomach twist with anxiety, oh how he hated when Lucy cried. He'd always done anything within his power to keep even a single tear from spilling, but now he was the one who made her so sad.

"Really…?" He asked as he turned around to see her nodding her head. "You're not best friends with him, are you?"

"N-No!" She hiccuped, "Never! His fire isn't even as hot as yours!"

"Eh? No way, he must be super lame then!" Natsu gasped, quickly wrapping his arms around Lucy as she agreed. "I'm sorry, Luce, I made you cry."

"Nu-uh, I was already gonna cry, getting kisses from other boys is really icky," She sniffled, tears staining his shirt as she was held against its surface.

"I bet, I'd never kiss ice princess, that'd be super icky," He smiled at the sound of her giggle, Lucy, now more golden, pulling away from his hug.

"Eww! Weirdo!"

"What?! I said I wouldn't!" Their laughter lightened the mood again, the two much more comfortable to fall asleep now that they had cleared up this very upsetting misunderstanding.

"Can I kiss ya, Luce? I don't think I can sleep if I don't," Natsu asked as they were now under the covers, Lucy already beginning to nod off as the side effect from crying made her extra drowsy.

"Mhm…" Her tired lips puckered themselves, the dragon leaning in to share their most sacred of rituals, grinning to himself as she sleepily asked for another.

* * *

 **follow me on tumblr if you wanna keep up with meeee**

 **I hope you don't mind this hecka spam lmao**

 **VERIVERY has good music bro**


	22. Balsam

**Back at it again with the cutest fucking story I've ever written**

 **It's been about a year since I started this? I know that it was some time around last Natsu day lmao**

 **Please enjoy the fluff** **（ゝ。∂）**

 **~~I made a slight edit on the terms of Lucy's brightness that needed clarification**

* * *

"Alright!" Igneel said as the kids lined up in front of him, his arms crossed as he stared them down with a faux glare, Wendy in a baby bjorn strapped to his chest. "Are you all paying attention?"

"Yes, sir!" The group shouted loudly, saluting to the older dragon as he nodded, Grandine and Irene rolling their eyes as they helped Layla and Silver take their suitcases into the inn.

"While we're here, you need to make sure you behave," He said, staring down his son, nephew, and the ice sprite. "That means absolutely no fighting. I don't even want you trying to discipline the boys, Erza. But glares are fine! No magic at all!"

"But what if I want to snuggle with Plue?" Lucy asked, quickly zipping her lips as Igneel pursed his lips and gave her a sideways glance.

"I know for a fact that you have a stuffed toy that looks just like him, so no magic at all, even if it's harmless."

"But what if there's a bad guy that wants to hurt Luce?!" Natsu rared with a slam of his fist into his palm, yelping as his dad chopped him on the head, Wendy following suit with her own tiny hand.

"There's security here for a reason! And if anything serious happens, we will take care of it!" He scolded the fledgling who grumbled and nodded as he rubbed the now sore spot on his head.

"This is a nice place, and I don't want us to have to pay extra if you break something, so please," He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Be on your best behavior."

He waited for their response, frowning at the ten who failed to focus on his words. They instead looked to the center of his chest where Wendy burbled and kicked her legs, bouncing in the bjorn as she made bubbles with her spit.

"I'm sure they'll be just fine," Ur laughed as she lifted her young toddler higher on her hip. "My Jellal is here to keep an eye on everyone, right?"

"Yeah, and Erza too, if she doesn't mind helping me," He said and turned to the valkyrie with a soft smile, the redhead nodding as she felt her cheeks burn.

"M-Mhm!" Her cheeks fumed as the fallen spirit carefully ruffled her hair, Irene sneakily taking photos of the scene.

"Our luggage is all put away, how about we have some lunch and take a walk around town?" Layla hummed as she clapped her hands and smiled to the wild cheer of the litter.

"Maybe we should've leashed them," Metalicana groaned as his son and nephew immediately took off, dragging Lucy and Levy behind them. Jellal was quick to run ahead of them and calm them down, Erza's fist quaking at her side as she resisted the urge to punish them.

"I'm sure they'll calm down later…" Grandine sighed as she took a napkin to clean the drool daring to trickle down from Wendy's lips.

And later they did...after hours of running around. Four painful hours of running around. The town, Balsam, was well-known for its spa attractions and rustic tourism.

The three young rivals were easy to handle after their stomach growling became an immediate concern, quick to return to their parent's side with a whine and dramatic beg for food. The meal only proved to liven them up again, the group blowing through town and almost knocking every other tourist onto their butts as they sped through every crowd and up to every stall.

Erza began to get antsy at the sight of Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu get away with such behavior. She wanted to say something, but they weren't really doing much other than running around loudly and jumping like monkeys. Her fist trembled to knock them out, but she could feel Wendy's gaze on the back of her head whenever she raised it.

That baby...every time she turned her head around, that darned baby was staring at her with nonchalant eyes that the valkyrie knew were telling her to back off.

Jellal noticed Erza's growing anxiety as she struggled between the urge to discipline her friends and as well a strange battle she seemed to be having with Wendy. That part of her mental struggle, he couldn't understand, as the young dragon wasn't doing anything but kicking her legs and chewing on her fingers as she sat strapped to her father's chest.

But he knew how hard-headed and tough she was, always speaking with authority, the mere turn of her head enough to put anyone in line.

Her mother hovered around as well, reminding Erza that they were on vacation and she should give her face a break before all her scowling resulted in early-onset wrinkles.

"You should have fun," The fallen spirit smiled as he stole Erza's attention and took her balled up hand to calm her tension. "That's what we're here for, right?"

"O-Oh…yes…" Erza immediately flushed as she stared at their joined hands, the three boys forgotten from her thoughts as she was now captivated by Jellal's kind smile.

"Mou, Natsu~!" Lucy squirmed and stomped her foot as the dragon continued to fun around with Gray and Gajeel, the three entirely too occupied with each other to play with the girls. "He keeps ignoring me…"

"I'm glad Gajeel doesn't want to play with me," Levy huffed as she stared at the cackling boy. "He never leaves me alone anymore,"

"Juvia wishes Gray-sama would play with her," Juvia sighed as the raven-haired boy laughed at Natsu getting scared by a landing pigeon. "Gray-sama looks so cute in Balsam…"

"Uwah, look at Erza and Jellal..." Lucy sighed lovingly with her hands clasped together as she looked to the two now walking hand in hand, the three girls gathered together in a slow walk as they watched the romantic sight. Erza was bright red and weak in her steps alongside the former spirit, nodding towards everything he pointed out and smiling with nervous and warped lips.

"Oh goodness," Ur snickered as she watched the slight drama unfold before them. "I'm glad Meredy fell asleep. Otherwise, I'm sure half the tow would be sick with puppy-love."

"Don't you want to play with them, Ultear?" Silver asked the smaller version of his old friend as she kept a hand wrapped around her mothers calf. "They're pretty weird, but I'm sure talking to them would be more fun than listening to us,"

"I only need Mama," She glared at the older Fullbuster and flipped her hair with a humph, ignoring the others as they chuckled at her answer.

Soon enough, the group of youngsters tired themselves out after running around half the day, excited to return to their hotel for another meal.

The day finished without incident, the parents satisfied and happy their children knew how to behave when it came to their strict instructions.

"No splashing, Natsu!" Erza scolded the fire dragon as he kicked his legs in the shallow pool that was the hot spring reserved for young guests. Again, Jellal was left in charge of the small bunch as the adults took no shame in running off to have their alone time in the grown-up baths; save for Wendy who definitely could not be left without her mother or father.

But having the fledgling with them was a pretty substantial bonus; a wet and warm baby was an entirely different level of adorable that the mothers could feed on.

So now the young ones played by themselves, after adequately washing off, of course.

"Ugh...I hate this…" Gray grumbled as he sat on a rock amidst the steaming pool of water, his body unable to handle the piping hot pit of evil that made his stomach churn as soon as he got in. Juvia clung to the sprite, her head resting against his chest as she nodded in agreement.

"Juvia too...Juvia thinks this water would make her scales fall off…"

(To be fair, Mika and Silver were able to stand the heat, but the Fullbuster wife was sure that her son and future daughter were going to hate a trip such as this one. The beach would have been better, she figured but went along with the overall consensus of the group. The winter wolf was sure to get an earful once the children complained to her later on; she was always right.)

"Scooch over," Ultear groaned as she pulled herself onto the rock after wading through the practical lava, her back against Gray's as the two sprites weakly created a cold bubble for the three to feel comfortable in.

"Gajeel! Go away! I wanna play with Lu-chan!" Levy whined as she glared at the metal dragon who felt fine entirely ignoring her as he swam circles around her to keep her in one place. All he needed was a faux shark fin to really seem like a predator, but his piercing glare was just enough to ward off the others from trying to get near the pixie.

Erza shyly sat next to Jellal along the underwater edge of the pool there was for such a purpose, occupying her embarrassment with the scolding she could now commit without Wendy's glaring eyes about. Her heart tinged with the slightest unknown jealously as Meredy slept calmly in the arms of her brother, the valkyrie wondering if she'd ever get the chance to nap with him like that.

"L-Lucy!" Erza cleared her throat and swatted away the terribly embarrassing idea, running away to play with the star who sat calmly with her hair tied up, the only one of them properly enjoying the hot springs.

Natsu grumbled to himself later that night as they were all laid down to sleep, two hours having surely gone by since the lights were put out. Lucy slept next to him in their futon, her Plue plushie tight in her grasp. The young dragon shook her shoulder lightly in an attempt to wake her up, smiling as she dimmed like came on with a flourish of sparkles as she came into consciousness, though her golden shimmer wasn't too bright that it bothered the others sleeping around them.

"Luce…wake up, Lucy," He whispered, leaning close into her short field of vision as her eyes opened ever so slightly.

"Natsu...what? Can't you sleep?" Lucy asked with a yawn, stretching her legs slightly and snuggling closer to her pillow.

"Uh-huh, it's hard to sleep without Happy," He huffed with a pout as she rubbed her eyes. The Dragneel family had to leave the exceed in the care of one of their neighbors after they found out pets weren't allowed in the hotel. Natsu insisted he wasn't a pet, and his parents agreed, but rules were rules. It would only be two nights that they were apart, but he didn't like it one bit. Happy had never slept without him before, and he was really worried about how the exceed was handling the nights alone.

"I miss...him too," Lucy mumbled, eyes blinking wearily as she felt herself dozing off again. The fledgling quickly shook her before she was out cold, pulling her closer as he had more to say.

"Oi, don't fall asleep, don't you wanna play with me? Or, or I could give ya one of those kisses you like so much!" Natsu's whisper was harsh as he gripped her shoulders, trying to think of anything that would keep her up while he still failed to fall asleep.

"Mm…" The young star fazed in and out of sleepy states as her best friend shook her. Lucy's bleary eyes settled on his features that were only slightly visible thanks to the light of her skin. She placed her Plue doll carefully beside their bed and nuzzled closer into Natsu's hold, her lips vaguely brushing against his as she dared to fall asleep again. "...There you go,"

"Oi, do it, right! Otherwise, I won't kiss ya till we get home!" He threatened, but it was no use, Lucy was dead asleep once again, leaving the dragon to grumble by himself until he fell asleep a half-hour later.

* * *

 **Don't come for me I know it isn't long ;-;**

 **I think one more chapter and then imma send them off to school**

 **it'll be a few chapters of them growing up and then imma make a quick (not really) stop at high school and then we are done! I'm excited to write all the drama I've been thinking up this past year for y'all!**

 **follow my on tumblr if you wanna know what I'm up to or to read early releases of mine - moeruhoshi**

 **Do you guys read this on the app? Cuz I love that fanfiction has an app now lmao**


	23. Winter is Coming

**Heeeeeey**

 **TBH I was gonna save this for future development but I didn't want to**

 **the way I planned to introduce it later on in the story would have been weird anyway so here you go!**

* * *

Silver Fullbuster never anticipated this happening. Something like this was entirely unheard of, in his family or any other, it was indeed something that no one even thought could happen. His friends were stumped...hell, the whole town would be if they saw what he was looking at. Mika was a ball of nerves fretting over how she couldn't decide what to fret over, and Juvia on the other hand...well, she was pretty happy, and he could see why.

His son...well his son must be destined for greatness, that was for sure. Although, he knew that as soon as the little sprite was born, of course. So maybe he shouldn't have been so surprised this was happening.

The story begins on a morning like any other in the Fullbuster household. Mika would be up before anyone, making her way quietly down the stairs before opening up the cabinets and fridge to start preparing breakfast. (It felt like a ham and eggs kind of day...lightly toasted bread and cherry tomatoes with some hashbrowns and fresh orange juice, too.)

Juvia would be the next one to wake up as soon as the sun hit her pale cheek and her body called for its first chug of water that she kept in a bottle on her nightstand. Once her hydration was replenished, she heaved herself up onto the toilet and did her business, washed her hands and splashed her face with a bit of salted water that rested in a bowl meant just for her.

Dragging one of her Gray dolls behind her, she would yawn and take quiet steps towards her guardian's bedroom. She pushed open the door carefully, peeking in to see that the curtains were still drawn and the winter wolf was still snoring away. Her frilled blue nightgown swayed as she walked up to the towering furniture, a small hand reaching up to tug on one of the exposed fingers nearest to her.

"Papa-sama, it's time to wake up," Juvia whispered in a quiet voice, grinning as his large and rough hand twitched into motion, falling on her curls of blue hair with a soft rub.

"Yeah...thanks, Juvia," He would yawn and sit up, watching with a tired smile as the mermaid skipped her way out of the room with her morning job half completed.

Next was Gray, her darling Gray that Mama-sama had given her the wonderful job of waking up as well. He would always pout and ignore her for a moment, but the scarce attention never lasted for long as he gave her a similar pat on the head before sending her on her way. Once that was done, she would greet Mika with a warm smile and then make herself comfortable in the living room with the stream of morning magical girl cartoons.

"Gray-sama," Juvia hummed as she poked her head into the equally dark room, giggling at the sight of the slight movement of his bedsheets. "Juvia's here to wake Gray-sama up today~!"

The mermaid tiptoed up to his bed, quickly hiding her doll behind her back as she began to poke and prod the body of the winter sprite.

"Mama-sama and Papa-sama woke up already, Gray-sama, so Gray-sama has to get up too!" She scolded as she shook him a bit harder, becoming frustrated as he began to take longer than usual to respond to her voice. It was another couple of minutes that she tried to shake the boy who only continued to squirm underneath his blanket.

"Gray-sa––eek!" Juvia let out a sharp squeal as the mass under the blanket suddenly sprang toward her, successfully knocking her onto her back with a loud enough thump that vibrated through the house.

Mika looked to the second story with a worried glance, stirring the half wet yolks in the pan as she heard her husband rush to investigate.

"Gray-sama! Gray-sama, stop that!"

"Juvia? Gray? What's going...on?" Silver popped open the door with a harsh swing, the worried features of his face melting away into a look of curiosity as he stared down at the two. The young mermaid was pinned down and squirming as she tried to push away his son that sporadically licked her face as if it were covered in honey.

It was an entirely confusing scene that the Fullbuster father let carry on for too long until he came to his senses and lifted the ball of energy that was his son from the now sopping cheeks of his future in law.

"Um...Mika?" Silver called as he began down the stairs, Juvia rushing off into the bathroom to clean herself up. He controlled the twitching and back and forth movement of the energy ball he held, not quite sure if he was feeling jittery with excitement or concern.

"What is it, dear? No one got hurt did...they…?" Her voice fell into a whisper as she turned around, staring at the face of her son held up.

His nose...was no longer his nose, and his mouth...well, it was quite the same but had pointed teeth that now poked out onto his bottom lip. As for his ears, they had transformed into pointy tips that emerged from the top of his hair. A bushy navy colored tail swished behind him eagerly, and his hands and feet were paws that matched the color of his skin, nails thankfully appearing not to be too sharp.

"Oh...oh my goodness!"

And so now, the family was entirely too puzzled at the sight of such a hyper and clingy Gray. He ate quickly and messily and could not be bothered to sit still, running circles around the table as the others finished their meal.

Juvia was quick to warm up to the puppy-like version of her beloved who seemed unable to get enough of her attention. Being left to run around the living room and backyard, Mika quickly dialed everyone's number with a voice that spoke for urgent help.

Silver was still a mix of emotions as he absentmindedly did the dishes. He hoped that when Gray was born, he would show signs of having inherited his father's form, but instead showed the ones for Mika's. His sprite wings were awfully cute, so there was nothing wrong with that, and he could still manage ice magic, so where was the downside?

But now his son was both! Half winter sprite, half winter wolf...the ultimate winter creature...how cool…

Ultear was the first to show up, having left her band of kids home to watch the store with their cousins. She was immediately intrigued by Mika's rushed explanation and would do anything to help the overly concerned mother.

"Well, what do you know," She whistled from the other side of the patio door, watching Gray and Juvia play a game of fetch in the yard. "This is really weird,"

"Right? I don't know what we should do," Mika sighed, worrying mostly about what his puppy-like state would mean for her poor furniture legs.

"I'm sure ol' Silver here knows how to handle a dog," The master sprite humphed as she playfully elbowed said man. "There's a whole book of things you were taught, am I right?"

"Well, sure," He shrugged. "But a half and half...nothing like this has ever been heard of, has it?"

Igneel similarly had no idea what to say on the matter. Grandine, Layla, and Irene all stood around the door as they watched the rowdy pup engage with Natsu, Lucy, and Erza. He was kind towards the girls and passively snarled at Natsu who was ready to take the growl challenge he'd been offered.

"Certainly a spectacle," Igneel nodded with his fellow parents. "I don't even know what to say, much less think,"

"I think Lucy was able to inherit from Jude and myself as well," Layla chimed in, allowing Mika to feel more at ease with the situation. "His only special traits attribute towards luck, and Lucy's always been very lucky,"

"I think it might be good to see Porlyusica sometime to make sure this isn't only a fluctuation of his genes paired with a magic overload," Irene hummed her opinion. "Erza often has times when she taps into her future abilities, but I have a regulator around if it's a persistent episode. He may be shifting through magic outbursts instead of experiencing a permanent transformation,"

Natsu slamming into the class with a dull bump broke apart the conversation as Gray had tripped him up, leaving the dazed dragon to unmuddle himself while he kindly took to the three who eagerly wanted to scratch him behind the ears.

The Fullbuster parents took the advice to heart and thanked everyone for their words before sending them on their way, truly for everyone's peace of mind when Natsu and Gray continued to try and challenge each other.

They were terribly exhausted by the end of the day, for obvious reasons. But the most tiring part of the day resulted after having to bathe the hyper boy.

Needless to say, the doctor's appointment was quickly scheduled before the two subsequently passed out, sleeping with slight anxiety as their dreams haunted them with the next day sure to be filled with their monstrous puppy son.

Juvia elseways found herself experiencing a new form of bliss as Gray willingly balled himself up next to her for bed, snuggling into her deadly grip that refused to let him go. Her dreams that night were filled with the positive memories of the day; Gray playing with her, napping with her, clinging to her, and pouncing on her as he continued to want to give her slobbery kisses.

An affectionate Gray...she hoped this spell on him would never wear off.

But it had, and by the next morning, the two adults were glad to hear their son returned to normal as woke them up in a fit of trying to pry Juvia off of him.

* * *

 **What a twist! If you were having a hard time picturing what I was going for, I recommend thinking of the movie Wolf Children! That's the way I kind of pictured Gray myself lolol**

 **I said I was gonna move on to the growing up but if you really wanna see any other cute settings then I'll stick around if you have any ideas you thought I should to**

 **I'm hype to progress the plot tho, I have a lot in store for this!**


	24. Full Moon Antics

**I was V confused bc I have my docs for these chapters numbered wrong lmao so I was like whaddaya mean chapter 23? I'm on 22?**

 **But I see where I went wrong lmao**

 **thank you for enjoying the last chapter!**

 **TO CLARIFY SOMETHIN**

 **Gray is the only one out of them that we'll be seeing two sides of, unfortunately**

 **I mean I guess it'd be cool if Natsu could use sky magic but that's too ooc for me and I don't want to write it lmaooo**

 **I dropped info for Lucky Lucy but only cuz that's her name, ya know?**

* * *

As a couple of weeks had passed since the first incident with Gray changing into a wolf pup, the Fullbuster parents weren't too worried about seeing the revival of his overactive character any time soon.

They had a very informative discussion with Porlyusica, who told them that his transformations were indeed an anomaly produced by a sudden surge in Gray's magic. It was probable that he would change forms again as he continued to practice his magic and grow, although it was unsure when he would be fully conscious in said state. As long as they kept a regulating crystal nearby, it would keep him from tapping into any of the spells he could cast unknowingly, which was what Mika worried about the most.

"So, he really did inherit Silver's powers?" Mika asked and sighed as Porlyusica nodded in confirmation.

"I've never seen a child who inherited powers from both of his parents, but the tests I ran on him don't detect that his body is in any danger of overloading," The pink-haired woman huffed as she glanced at the boy sitting in the corner of her office while Juvia occupied him with whatever she was saying. "I wouldn't know what could happen to him in the future, so you better bring him in again if you think he's becoming too strange."

Silver was sure Mika was going to kill him for being born a winter wolf and not something more practical like a sprite such as herself so that the two of them wouldn't have to deal with a puppy-like son.

But could he really be blamed? A little bit...but how was he supposed to know Gray would inherit his powers like this?!

The daggers that pierced his broad back from his wife's eyes as they lay in bed told him not to question her anger.

What happened to be pissing her off this specific night, was the howling of her darling...darling son.

"Dear..." Her voice bit through the air and dragged a stream of cold air with it, chilling Silver's spine and pushing him to get out of bed.

"I got it," He groaned and made his way over to his son's bedroom, cursing quietly as he pulled the door open.

Gray had transformed as Silver expected well enough and was excitedly howling to the full moon that made itself present in the sky from beyond his window sill.

This situation one-hundred percent couldn't be solved by simply closing the curtains, or Gray would be sure to scratch and bite the hell out of him for taking the moon away.

Silver couldn't help but smile a bit as his son took a moment to look expectantly at him, tail wagging vigorously as Gray waited for him to join in on the exciting ritual.

"I get it bud, but looks like we'll have to go out before your mom decides to freeze us all to death," The older wolf sighed as he picked up the half breed who whimpered immediately as they walked away from the window and left his room.

"Papa-sama…?" Juvia yawned softly as she peeked out of the crack of her door. "Juvia heard Gray-sama and woke up…"

"Go back to sleep, sweetie. I've gotta go take Gray outside; otherwise, he'll be antsy all night," Silver said as he crouched to her level to give her a soft pat on the head. The puppy squirmed in his hold and yipped for Juvia to come closer, planting a slobbery kiss upon her cheek as she did.

"Aww, but Juvia loves Gray-sama when he's a wolf, like Papa-sama…" She whined with a tired smile as he snuffled up to her cheek.

"I know he's adorable, isn't he?" Silver asked, chuckling as Juvia nodded and scratched softly behind his ear and giggled as he continued to press his nose into the squishy flesh of her cheek.

"Can't Juvia sleep with Gray-sama? Gray-sama didn't make any noise the last time he was a puppy,"

"I wish I could leave him with you," The Fullbuster father rolled his eyes with a slight sigh as Gray began to wag his tail as the moon started to shift and the light slowly peeked from under the door. "But he needs to see the moon. It's kind of like how we have to take you to the beach for your water body rejuvenation."

"Oh, then Papa-sama and Gray-sama should leave right away!" The little mermaid quickly scolded and pushed them away, ignoring Gray as he began to whine for her again. "No whining, Gray-sama! Gray-sama has to go out with Papa-sama! Otherwise, Gray-sama will get sick!"

"We're going, we're going," Silver chuckled and stood up to leave, the blunette huffing and nodding as she returned to her bedroom after seeing them disappear down the staircase.

Once outside, Gray was let down onto the grass, eagerly running circles on the front lawn as he basked in the night air. His father couldn't help but smile as he looked too sweet and energetic, enjoying the other side of his son that he never got a chance to see; just as hyper as Juvia when she was sick on love.

"Alright, let's get going," Silver said as he rolled his shoulders, a growl faintly rising in his throat as he furled into his full form. Gray stopped his yipping and jumping to watch his dad turn into a wolf; captured by the sight of his father's clothes mysteriously fading, his shoulders rolling and back craning in acceptance of his change. He lowered himself onto his knees as his hair grew out thickly, starting from his torso and up to his arms and ears, new and floppy triangles replacing his ears that replicated Gray's. He plopped onto his large paws, the fur coming up from his toe beans colored white until they gradually mixed with his more raven fur.

"I know that look," He chuckled, picking up the pup by the back of his shirt and hopped over their short fence. "Don't worry, you'll be able to do this one day too."

Silver knew Gray would make too much noise to simply take him into the park to finish his howling, which would only succeed in pissing off the rest of the neighbors. So, he began to stretch his legs in preparation for the long run towards the woods.

His strong and quick steps led them off towards the tall trees and dense forest that resided beside Akane Beach. A sixty-mile run was just what he needed in his old age, although it was nothing compared to how much more he usually ran for quests when he was a guild mage.

Gray let his tongue hang out of his mouth as he was carried to wherever the two Fullbuster men were going, licking at the whipping wind and moving his paws as though he were the one running so speedily.

It didn't take long for Silver to find them a cozy and comfortable spot deep into the Akane woods; an empty cave alongside a partial cliff's edge that was overlooked upon by the bright and full moon.

Silver joined Gray in his overzealous howling, prey animals surely rushing and running to get away from the sound of the alpha wild dog. They continued it for a while until Gray became restless again, opting to tussle with his father instead.

The small wolf pup would jump up and growled playfully to instigate a fight, yapping and baying as his slightly sharp teeth nibbled at Silver's tail.

The older wolf easily gave in and quickly nabbed his son by the back of his shirt again and tossed him slightly away from him and into the air. It further proved to excite the puppy who came back fervently to be tossed up again.

Dawn was nearing by the time Gray tuckered himself out, curling into the warm fur upon his father's back as the two laid carefully in the shallow cave.

"...ad...dad...Oi, dad? C' mon, wake up," Silver groaned as he was forcibly awoken yet again, tired eyes bleary as they blinked open, cringing away from the intense sunlight.

"Hm?...Gray? You alright?" He yawned and stretched out his hind legs, sitting up flimsily as the sleep still clung to his body.

"Yeah, but why are we outside? Mama and Juvia aren't here," His droopy eyes and stiff lips made it hard to tell if he was frowning, upset, or just presenting his usual and stoic features.

"Do you really not remember?" Silver laughed as Gray shook his head, now obviously grumpy as his father grinned cheekily. "Goodness, you turned into a wolf pup again because of the full moon, I couldn't get you to calm down for hours,"

"Geez, Juvia's gonna bug me about licking her cheek then," He mumbled with red painting its way onto his cheeks.

"It looks like it's about noon, your mom's gonna worry if we don't get back soon. C' mon, get on so we can get home."

* * *

 **I got an idea lolol but for sure next chap they start school!**

 **Y'all really don't know what's coming**

 **tho I'll give you a bit of info!**

 **I don't plan to drag on their elementary and middle school years so it might just be a couple of chapters about some dramatic things and then we'll get into the good stuff for hs! I need to draw out a plan lmao**


	25. First Grade

**I'm back and betta then evaaaa**

 **not really tho but kinda**

 **I'll let you jump into this right away! Some information will be left at the bottom!**

* * *

Before Lucy was able to barge into her mother's room to jump on her and scream for her to wake up, the older star was already downstairs, properly preparing breakfast and lunch for her little daughter.

The young blonde was entirely too excited for today, Virgo and Cancer already standing by to assist the girl, who the zodiac and Layla knew would want to get ready as soon as she shot up from her pillow.

"I wanna wear pink! Natsu told me to wear pink today!" Lucy chirped as she hopped around her room energetically, following the movements of the white dog who ran from her grabby hands.

"A pink dress, Hime-sama?" Virgo asked as she held up a plain pale pink sundress with short sleeves and strappy pink sandals to go with it.

"Yeah! That's really pretty!" She grinned, squeaking as Plue suddenly disappeared, Capricorn taking his place. The goat-like spirit was quick to catch Lucy in his hands, lifting her to meet his sunglass-hidden gaze.

"You must wash up in the bathroom before getting dressed, Miss Lucy. Let's go," She pouted as he walked out of her room, holding her by her armpits in efforts to keep her from running around. Layla, able to feel whose gate was open, smiled as the spirits helped her manage the energy of the six-year-old.

It felt like only seconds to the Heartfilia mother before her daughter was speeding into the kitchen with a bright smile, twirling to show off her outfit.

"Oh, Lucy! You look so cute today!" Layla clapped her hands, bending down to press a rapid swarm of kisses to Lucy's round cheeks as the young star giggled.

"Thank you, mama! I can't wait to go to school, my tummy is all bubbly!" She said as she skipped over to the table, heaving and kicking her legs as she pulled herself onto one of the chairs.

"Try your best to eat your breakfast, if you stay so excited, you'll give yourself a tummy ache," Layla sighed with a smile as her energetic ball of light nodded rapidly, digging into the fruit and syrup covered waffles laid out for her.

Natsu was just as hyper in the Dragneel household, surprising his parents after the last year of kindergarten when he was never excited to get ready for school.

"Luce is gonna be there! I get to be in the same class as Luce, and Luce and I get to eat lunch together, and I told Luce I'd sit next to her! Luce is real smart, she's gonna help me with my work, she told me that! Isn't that cool, papa?" Natsu rambled on and on about his best friend as the fire dragon slipped his son out of his pajamas and into the outfit Grandine had laid out the day before. He nodded mildly as Natsu refused to stop glorifying the star, his eyes practically sparkling with her image at every word. The Dragneel father would need to warn their teacher in advance not to mess with the delicate and sacred bond these two children seemed to share, if only to protect their sanity throughout the workday.

"Wendy, you have to take good care of Happy while I'm at school, okay? He needs lots of hugs and attention, you have to play with him all day!" Natsu instructed his sister as she sat in her high chair, absentmindedly crunching on the dried cereal placed in front of her. The baby girl only grinned as her brother spoke nonsensically about the rules for his exceed, intrigued by the smile of his lips as they moved.

Happy gulped a bit, as he knew the little sky dragon was not one to be messed with. She could take his wings out of commission with just one burp, and his fur would inevitably end up soaked if Wendy needed something to chew on.

"You have to take care of Wendy too, okay Happy? She's gonna need someone to protect her while I'm gone," Natsu said matter of factly while his cheeks were stuffed with toast, Grandine finding it hard not to swoon over the cuteness of her more often than not troublesome child.

"Aye! You can count on me, Nachu!" Happy saluted his dragon partner, resolved with the new task to keep Wendy safe. He was sure she could fight a whole gaggle of perps on her own, but he would defeat anyone before she needed to open her mouth.

"We're going to head out and pick everyone up soon, so finish quick okay?"

And after both Natsu and Lucy subsequently scarfed their breakfasts down fast enough to give themselves the hiccups, they soon met each other at the agreed-upon corner every parent from their little group would be meeting up at.

"You wore pink!" Natsu exclaimed as soon as he set eyes on the bewitching sparkling girl, taking her in his little arms to twirl her around. "I knew you would! Now everyone'll be able to tell that you're my best friend!"

"Couldn't you just've told them that?" Gray rolled his eyes as he and Juvia approached the corner with Silver and Mika following up behind them. The mermaid was happily clung to the arm of her beloved who didn't make a move to remove her, only producing an embarrassed cringe whenever she snuggled against him.

"That's not cute at all, Gray-sama! Juvia should have matched with Gray-sama too..." She pouted, looking down at her white dress with blue trimmings.

"It kinda does, guess it would if I made some snow," He shrugged, flustered as the blunette squealed happily at the realization and offered her thanks in a glomping hug.

"Gray-sama is just the smartest!"

"No, Lucy's the smart one!" Natsu butted in on the scene, irking Gray who lost the attention of the affectionate sea creature.

"Eh? Gray-sama is obviously smarter!"

"Levy's smarter than everyone here!" Gajeel suddenly spoke up as he and the pixie crossed the street, Metalicana waving as he led them to a stop. "She's read...like all the books ever!"

"I'm glad they seem lively," Irene snickered as Erza and Gray joined Lucy and Levy who were eagerly complimenting each other while the other three were engaged in a heated argument. "Lord have mercy on the teacher that has to deal with them,"

Bisca Connell would have a troubling day, as much as she had prepared herself for the worst. Young kids coming into school after just being on summer break was never the smoothest transition, but that wasn't the major concern when it came to her new class.

The parent that sent in seven kids had been very clear that there were certain things to be aware of when dealing with his lot.

She could see, after watching her class for the day, that there were certainly kids who relied much too much on one another.

Erza was the boss of their small gang, making sure that each of the energetic boys was kept in line and wouldn't cause trouble for their teacher.

Natsu was all too obsessed with keeping Lucy for himself, refusing to let her share more than an exchange of names with any of the unknown students out of the fear that she'd end up wanting to play with them over him.

Gray was mild-mannered unless provoked into an argument and Juvia was unable to attach herself anywhere if not the arm of the winter sprite who forced himself to play with her.

And lastly, Gajeel and Levy. She was really stuck at a crossroads with these two as it was not allowed, in any way, for her to come between the metal dragon and the pixie. The fledgling was mighty protective of the small girl only interested in books, choosing to sit in a corner for most of the day while he guarded her with a stern gaze and a barricade made of blocks. Not only that but whenever Levy wanted another book, she would wait patiently behind the fence while the dragon retrieved her something new from the shelf. What impressive control...

Erza, as seemingly calm and collected as she was, didn't feel like playing at all. The teacher hovered over her seat, seeing that the young valkyrie had only succeeded in drawing slices of strawberry cake over and over again.

"Hungry for a snack?" Bisca giggled, watching as the student turned bright red without fail.

"N...No, not yet," She pushed out, returning to coloring in her strawberry while the teacher begrudgingly moved on.

It wasn't fair, she thought. Jellal was older than them, but so what? Didn't he belong in the classroom where all his friends were? More importantly...where she was…

The only sense of comfort Erza could provide herself on this loneliest of days were memories of the cake from his shop that she couldn't get enough of.

"Papercut! Luce got a papercut!" Natsu bellowed at the top of his lungs as he stared down at the red bead of blood that seeped from the tip of her finger. He glared at the origami paper that had dared to hurt his precious friend, and it would easily pay with its own spilled blood.

"Calm down, I've got a first aid kit right he––Oh! Natsu! No! Don't burn the paper like that, it's not safe!"

"It hurt Luce! It's life for hurting!" The fire dragon cackled as the other students screamed and ran for a corner away from the flames that slowly nipped at their carpet floor. Lucy only laughed as the teacher quickly bandaged her finger and ran across the room for the fire extinguisher, her heart giddy with excitement as Natsu protected her in his odd way.

Naptime...it was finally nap time for her students...

Bisca slumped in her chair, groaning a bit as her eyes fell to the odd bunch sleeping together that would prove to make her life that much more interesting.

Natsu was quiet as he held Lucy, rather choosing to watch out for any pieces of paper that got the wrong idea instead of enjoying the nap time provided for them. She was soft and cozy, smelling of berries and honey and light and the stars. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to fall asleep...only because she smelled so nice…

Gray begrudgingly held Juvia who refused to nap otherwise if he wasn't beside her. Her head rested against his chest, her soft breaths and surprisingly warm hug successful in making him enjoy his sleep too.

Levy held Gajeel as he wrapped his arms around her center, his head rested upon her small body, surprisingly not crushing the pixie's lungs. They napped like this most every day together, so it wasn't terrible, not at all.

And Erza was the first to have fallen asleep, ready to enjoy dreams of her soft and fluffy cake, served on a cute glass plate by an even cuter son of a baker.

* * *

 **to start off**

 **I think I said the kids were six? Maybe seven? Tell me if you find that info lmao I know I've answered this question before in my bolded comments**

 **Hi! It's been a while! I've had a lot on my plate as of recently, I was a full-time summer student and I'm full time this fall as well! I only got a week of break which was noooot enough and I could cry**

 **I know I've posted many many many one-shots, I really can't help myself when I get an idea lmao**

 **I haven't done much concerning fanfic this past month bc I've been on Lexapro and I HATE IT**

 **It's totally taken away my ability to be as creative as I am, I haven't written in bursts of excitement in so long bc I legit can't feel my fangirl joy when I'm on it ;-;**

 **So, thank you for your patience! I honestly can't say when I'll be back or what I'll be doing next, I'm all over the place as usual**

 **Follow me on Tumblr, I have the same username if you want to keep up with me on the daily or send me an ask if you have any questions!**

 **AND**

 **I watched the Saudi Arabia BTS VLIVE concert this morning and omg it was amaaaaaazing!**


	26. The Princess and the Playground

**tbh this would have been done right about at 12 this Saturday but I made plans to see a couple of friends after my other friend wanted some tea on them**

 **I'm really excited for this chap!**

* * *

Natsu Dragneel was out sick on this fine Tuesday, leaving his best friend, Lucy Heartfilia, alone and available to play with anyone.

Which gave a young Dan Straight, who often watched the blonde from afar on the playground, the courage to finally confess his love he harbored.

The dragon was her guard, and a feared one at that. He refused to let himself or anyone else in their grade get near her, aside from the small group of friends he accepted.

It wasn't fair! She was entirely too cute to be left with such a wild and rowdy dragon when she was a dainty and delicate princess. He would be the knight that saved her while she was finally free of the beast that kept her trapped. His valor and swordsmanship inherited by the gods would help him finally claim the heart of the sweet star.

When the time came for the students to play on the playground, Dan was quick to approach the star. She skipped her way towards the sandbox alone, grabbing a sand bucket and shovel from the toy rack.

"U-Um! Lucy!" The young swordsman flushed as he stood at the edge of the box, Lucy in the middle of filling a bucket with sand.

"Hm? Do you want to play with me?" Lucy smiled as she looked up to the brunette boy who only fidgeted.

"Y-Y-Yeah! Is that okay? I really...really want to play with you," His stomach burbled with instant happiness as she grabbed his hand and pulled him down to kneel next to her.

"I'll build the castle, and you can dig the moat!"

As Dan handled the shovel swiftly and eagerly, he exploded with excitement in his mind, his mental self dancing around in a crazy amount of joy as his feelings had been accepted. Lucy wanted to play with him just as much as he had wanted to play with her! She loved him, not that smelly dragon!

"Can we play again tomorrow?" He asked hopefully, staring into the glittering eyes of his darling princess who nodded her answer.

"Sure! Do you know how to jump rope? Natsu always gets stuck so he never wants to play,"

"I'm the best at it!" Maybe not the best, but if it were something that bothersome dragon couldn't do, then Dan would become the best jump roper for her!

When going home later that day, the knight grinned to himself at the promise to be together with his princess the next day. Lucy's actions proved to him that she had longed for freedom all along, that with him, she could play all the games the evil dragon kept away from her.

"Dan, you look happy today, did something good happen at school?" His mother asked as her son beamed quietly to himself.

"I saved a princess! We're going to live happily ever after, just like in the storybook!" He grinned, the woman giggling and implored to hear more about the boy's day.

Natsu Dragneel was absent again, much to Lucy's dismay.

He had a high fever, so high in fact that anything he touched would burst into flames. It was a dragon fever, Layla had told Lucy when the little star begged to be with her best friend.

"I know you won't catch on fire, honey, but Natsu's still sick. It won't do any good for you both to be sick, now will it?"

A boy was kind enough to offer his help when she wanted to build a sandcastle, making Lucy just the tiniest bit happier. She decided that day she was going to play alone without her friends, who would only try to console her over her loss of Natsu. This new friend didn't seem to mind Natsu's existence, which helped put her despair aside for a moment.

And when they promised to play together, and Natsu was still out sick, Lucy found herself happily distracted with the boy who had yet to tell her his name.

"What's your name?" Lucy asked as she hopped in place, her hands twirling the rope she jumped over with expertise.

"I'm Dan!" The boy answered as he similarly jumped alongside her.

"I'm a star, what are you?" She asked one of the questions that Loke had previously quizzed her with. He and the other spirits aimed to help her learn the skills to gain more friends.

"I'm a knight! I slay evil beasts, you know. And save princesses from dragons! My mom is a princess and my dad saved her, he told me so! He beat up the dragon that held her captive!" Dan boasted with pride over the way his parents met, as it was the way many of his ancestors also met their partners. Although not every knight had to face a dragon.

"...A dragon? But why? Dragons aren't evil," Lucy frowned as her hands slowed down, the rope tapping against her shins as it fell out of the air.

"Of course they are! And it's my job to hurt them!" He said proudly, his eyes widening as Lucy turned a magnificent red.

"That's mean! I don't want to play with a meanie who wants to hurt my friends!" The little star shouted angrily, storming off and away from the shocked and heartbroken brunette who now stood alone.

"Our first fight…" Dan's heart clenched happily as he saw that their relationship was strong enough to reach this stage, but he still felt much sorrow and anguish. How could this princess not see what an evil beast that Dragneel boy was? She was clearly still under his control and needed to be freed. Even though his princess had been safe by his side, the dragon still needed to be slain.

With the third day of the week came a fear that Dan harbored the most.

The dragon boy was back...and he'd stolen the princess the knight had worked so hard to woo.

He watched them from afar again, cringing as the princess clung happily to the monster, her smile so bright and full of light. She reflected the sun, looking absolutely bubbly and giddy...and all for a stupid dragon that was clearly brainwashing her!

Dan prepared himself for the fight he knew was coming, sparring with a tree in the corner of the playground. A few jabs and a couple of roundhouse kicks later, the knight felt his training was finally complete. His eyes searched the playground again, and to his dismay, was unable to find the adorable blonde.

"My Lucy...where have you gone..." Dan whispered to himself, cursing as he ran into the crowd of his classmates in search of his stolen bride.

Behind the trunk of the big weeping cherry tree at the end of the playground, sat the dragon and his best friend. They shared a long and quiet embrace, refueling themselves with the warm and relaxing touch they'd been longing for.

"I missed you so so so much!" Lucy spoke into Natsu's chest as he nuzzled further against the crook of her neck.

"I missed you more! Nothin' smells as good as you, Luce!" Natsu sighed happily as he absorbed her sweet, starry scent, refusing to acknowledge the world around him.

Neither was able to see anything but each other; their time apart was incredibly too painful. Lucy begged him for a kiss, her small and puckered lips waiting for their pair. He happily obliged, using this time they had alone to smother her in the many he'd only been able to dream of these last two days. One for her forehead, two for her cheeks, a nuzzle of his nose softly against hers, and a lasting kiss to seal their loving bond.

Dan watched from his hiding place in the bushes as his princess gave her innocent lips to the fire breathing menace. She sat contently between his legs, snuggled against his chest while his chin rested on her head. A disgusting display of possession it was! He purred, but certainly those sounds were growls! Clearly this dragon was challenging the knight, and it was a challenge Dan would gladly take head-on.

Lucy stood up when their teacher rolled out the juice cart, skipping her way over to get herself and the dragon a carton to share.

This brief window of time gave Dan the time he needed to enact his plan. Lucy turned away from the cart and quickly began her way back to the tree, only to be stopped by one hand over her mouth and the other pulling her in the opposite direction. The juice fell on the ground, left in the dust all by its lonesome as the poor star was dragged off.

The knight grinned to himself as Lucy now sat tied to a tree far away from the dragon's den where she'd surely be safe.

"Dan, you meanie! Let me go!" Lucy grumbled as she struggled against the tight bindings of the jump rope she'd been secured with.

"Don't worry, Lucy! I'll protect you!" He grinned, standing guard as he waited for the slithering beast to emerge from his perch across the yard.

"Natsu! Natsu, help me!" The star shouted, knowing that his sensitive ears would pick up the sound of her voice right away.

He sprung up from his seat in the grass, eyes sharply moving around as the call of his best friend alerted him of danger. His eyes became slits as anger bubbled and rose within him, his feet carrying him faster than his wings ever could.

"What do you think you're doing to my Luce?!" Natsu bellowed, instantly pouncing on the knight who was readying himself for a pre-fight speech of love.

Bisca was getting ready to call the children in for nap time when she spotted Natsu barreling across the playground. She gasped in horror as he immediately tackled Dan, fists and legs flying in seconds as a fight broke out. She turned whiter than a ghost when she saw Lucy tied to the trunk of a tree and heard her yelling for Natsu to win.

"Children! Oh my goodness, everyone inside! I need to take care of this!" She ushered the other students through the door, eyeing the fight while trying to watch the line of slow-moving children who filed indoors one by one. "Erza, get them ready for nap time!"

"You heard Bisca-sensei, move it!" The redhead glared as the students now began rushing into the room out of fear, Juvia and Gray at the end of the line, watching the fight transpire.

"Gray-sama would fight someone for Juvia, wouldn't he?" The mermaid asked with sparkling and unblinking eyes, a pout forming upon her lips as she clung to the sprite's arm.

"I guess so," He shrugged, blushing as she squealed and cozied up to him as usual.

The teacher quickly ran to pull Natsu off of the soot-covered and traumatized knight who stared up at the rabid boy who still snapped his maw and growled while kicking in the air.

"Lemme at him! He tied up my Luce, he'll pay for that!"

"I...can't defeat a dragon…" Dan coughed to himself, successfully passing out as the utterly confused teacher felt her panic would most definitely never subside.

* * *

 **this was going to take place when they were older but I thought the situation would fit better if they were still innocent minded bc I have the story framed around the idea that Natsu and Lucy are oblivious when it comes to their love**

 **I'm kind of speeding through their childhood school life bc the real drama lies when they grow up, I've had it planned for ages!**

 **Idk if I have any other elementary school ideas on me so I might move on**

 **as usual, I don't edit and cringe when read back to see my minor mistakes, its a good life**


	27. Halloween!

**what is uuuuup, me turning 20 that's what**

 **October 15th is my bday eyy**

* * *

"But I want to dress up as a ninja!" Natsu stomped his foot and huffed as he faced off with Lucy, who was fairly annoyed.

"I'm Red Riding Hood so you have to be the wolf!" The little star shouted for the millionth time, stomping her foot twice to prove her point.

"That's not fair, Luce! I always have to play your games, so I get to wear my costume!" He shot back, glaring as smoke fumed out of his nose.

"Not true! You make me sit around all the time while you and Happy practice how to fight!" Lucy stuck her tongue out, shoving the wolf ears and tail she'd had her mother buy along with her own costume against his chest.

"S-Still! I don't have to listen to you all the time! I'm gonna be a ninja! A-A-And I won't ever play with you again if you make me be a stupid wolf!" Natsu grunted as he tossed the costume to the ground, his lip quivering as he watched the star turn her frustrated purple with a twinge of cornflower blue under her eyes.

"Fine! Then I don't want to be your friend!" Her words shot through the dragon like a bullet, his heart hiccuping as he watched the blonde turn around and run up the stairs of her house.

Their parents watched the argument unfold, Grandine and Igneel walking in just as Lucy was presenting her idea to the fledgling before he was to go home. They stared at Natsu who stared angrily at the two-piece pile of vomit that was the parts that created a fake version of his mortal enemy.

Did Lucy forget or something? Gray was a wolf, for goodness sake! And wolves were so much lamer compared to how awesome ninjas were!

"A-Ah, okay, I think it's about time we go home, Natsu. We have to get you and Wendy ready for Ur-san's party later tonight," Igneel said as he cleared his throat, seeing that his son was about to burst into tears. Picking up the weepy dragon and the ears and tail reluctantly, the family of three went off to return home to where Happy was watching Wendy for the moment being.

Layla waved them goodbye with a promise to be seeing them later, taking in a deep breath before going to soothe her stubborn daughter.

"Lucy…" The Heartfilia mother said as she peeked into Lucy's room, sighing as she saw her daughter dyed blue, crying into the fur of a confused and unsettled Plue.

"I don't want to go to the party, Mama," Lucy sniffled and buried her face deeper against the white dog's chest. "Natsu got mad at me...and I said something mean to him…"

"Well, then that's why we have to go, Lucy. Don't you want to apologize for making him feel bad?" Layla hummed as she sat on the edge of Lucy's bed, rubbing her back as her body racked with subtle cries.

"But what if he meant it…? He said he'll never play with me again!" Lucy kicked her legs. She tightened her hold around Plue's neck, the Nikora shaking a bit more than usual as his master slowly began cutting off his air supply.

"Didn't you say you didn't want to be his friend anymore? You have to apologize too, and then I'm sure Natsu will take back what he said right away!" The older star cheered with a small pump of her fist as the blueberry looking girl lifted her head, eyes shining expectantly.

"Really?"

"Yup! I'm sure of it! Now, c'mon. We have a party to get ready for!"

In the Fullbuster household, Gray and Juvia were, fortunately, able to avoid the angst surrounding their choice of costume.

Although Juvia was actually a mermaid, she still had to dress as her most favorite one of them all. The princess in The Little Mermaid. There wasn't much begging she had to do to get Gray to dress up as the prince, as he had no huge interest in dressing up, to begin with. Each year Juvia chose what he wore, which always matched with her own.

"Gray-sama! Oh, Gray-sama looks so wonderful!" He'd try not to blush as she fawned over him just as much as his own mother did. His hair was slicked back and he wore a billowed top, it really wasn't anything they had to get so worked up about…

Just what part of him was so cute anyway?

Gajeel was in the same boat as Gray, not minding that Levy was the one who chose his costume. She wanted to be characters from her current favorite book, The Canary Prince.

Similar to Cinderella, a princess is locked away in the woods by her evil step-mother. A prince happens upon her tower and the only way for them to meet is by the help of a witch who turns the boy into a canary. This is done by flipping the pages of a magical book; when flipped forward, the king's son turns into a canary, and when flipped back, he becomes human again.

It was an interesting and dramatic fairy tale that quickly became one of the pixie's favorites, so she insisted on being the princess from the book.

The young metal dragon aimed to please his mate and had yellow feathers stuck onto his wings to mimic the look of a canary's. If Gray or Natsu were to look at him sideways, he would have to restrain from fighting to make sure that his costume wasn't ruined.

Erza was the first to arrive at the Milkovich residence, twidling her fingers as she waited in quiet excitement next to her mother.

It had been a little while since she was last able to see Jellal as they were now in school, and he was too old to be in any of the classes near her. She often saw him from afar as he walked Ultear home, the valkyrie too shy to call out and ask if he had a good day. Even when she went by the bakery after working up the courage to ask her mom, he wouldn't be there, instead probably at home doing his homework and helping Ultear with her's since he was probably the best big brother in the world.

"Oh my, Erza, that's a fascinating costume!" Ur said with a bright smile as she opened her door to the two women warriors. "What are you dressed as?

"A strawberry," She said with a bit of pride. Her face was dusted in red blush, and she wore a plain white dress to mimic the color of the seeds. Erza thought ahead, for once, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hide any of her emotions when she saw Jellal again.

"A strawberry? I like it, that's really creative," Jellal laughed as he entered the room, a soft smile gracing his lips as he greeted the Scarlet family. "Do you want to come with me, Erza? Ultear and Meredy are playing with Simon and Kagura in the other room,"

"U-Uh-huh…" Erza's lips tightened as the fallen spirit took her hand and led her through his house. If it wasn't his natural adorability that stunned her, it was the cat ears and drawn-on nose with whiskers that sent her heart flying. Hopefully Meredy would pick up on Juvia's feelings again just so she could cling to him for a moment or two...she was truly starved of being with this sweeter than sweet boy.

"Did you dress up as a strawberry because of our cake?" Jellal asked with a light chuckle as they walked down his hallway that seemed a dizzying amount too long. "Since you like it so much? Mom says you come into the store all the time,"

"Ah...y-yeah...it's really good," She mumbled, feeling her heart rate increase as his hand tightened ever so slightly around her own.

"It's too bad I never get to see you there, we haven't been able to see each other that often because of school," Erza nodded as he looked back at her, her lips tightening as he smiled so kindly again.

They stood in front of the door they were meant to enter, for a moment too long, the former celestial spirit pursing his lips as he had a thought.

Knowing the valkyrie and her intense shyness, she'd be quick to run to Kagura's side and leave him alone without letting them have at least a few minutes to play and look at jack-o-lanterns. He found her behavior a bit unfair; was he too old to play with her or something? Erza wasn't rude to him but she was much more open with his cousin Simon for example. He and Erza were friends, so they deserved a little time together, no?

"Do you mind if I give you a hug?" Jellal asked, already tugging the young valkyrie closer to him. "Because I've missed you,"

"O-O-Oh, that's––that's! Okay...yes...yeah okay…!" Erza fumbled her words, the blush effectively hiding the vermillion shade of her cheeks as the slightly older boy brought her into his arms who couldn't help but laugh again, his chin resting upon the crown of her head.

The rest of the gang arrived accordingly, Natsu the last to walk into the outdoors where all the kids were currently playing. Happy was a ninja, not surprisingly, and he wheeled Wendy in as she sat in her stroller, the little sky dragon also dressed as...a ninja.

Lucy felt a little dejected and left out...maybe she should have dressed as a ninja too...Natsu should have asked her to be one with him! He only asked her for everything else in the world, so why not this too?

Even if she looked cute in her red and white checkered dress, with her hood and her basket, it would have been more fun to be something together. Wendy looked so cute in her outfit; why didn't Natsu tell her that ninjas could be cute too!

"U-Um, Luce?" Natsu mumbled his question as he approached the golden star from behind.

She turned around and gasped, holding in her twinge of happiness as she saw that over his ninja costume, Natsu wore the tail and ears she had been so insistent on.

"I'm sorry I said that I wouldn't play with you anymore...I didn't mean it…" He said quietly, looking down as he nervously kicked the dirt with his foot.

"I have to say sorry, not Natsu! I was being mean, you didn't have to wear my ears!" She exclaimed, rushing forward to hold his hands in her own. "I didn't mean what I said either, I'll always be Natsu's friend!"

"Eh? Really?" Natsu's eyes lit up as she grinned and nodded, bouncing with him as they both expressed their happiness. His heart refilled with its lost happiness at her simple words, the two skipping away for a moment, as usual, to share a kiss or two under the full moon revealing itself from behind the clouds.

"Ah! Gray-sama! Your hair!" Juvia yelped as the ice prince suddenly became is more feral self, the happy puppy jumping around and messing up his perfectly gelled hair. "Juvia can't run in this dress, stop playing like that! Gray-sama!"

"Leave me alone, you drool pup! You're gonna ruin Levy's hard work!" Gajeel shouted as he ran away from Gray who eagerly began to chase the canary prince.

* * *

 **and we out**

 **idk when I'll be back I took today to do nothing lmao**

 **Imma post on weverse and see if I can get a response cx**

 **^^^^^^^^^^^ _I wrote all this before actually finishing the chapter lmao I was ambitious_**

 _ **I just got mobbed by a pack of children wanting candy and yes I wrote this while sitting on my patio handing out candy to trick-or-treaters**_

 _ **Happy Halloween!**_

 _ ******_ **btw I know Jellal isn't usually forward when it comes to Erza lmao I thought it would be a good reversal for him to have this kind of courage now compared to in the future when he'll be the one who's too flustered to do anything!**

 **I think the next chap should have a bit more Gajevy since they haven't had their own spotlight in a while**


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